Revised COVID Shooting Guidelines and Testing Recommendations #122

Covid is, unfortunately, still with us and continues to affect productions. Covid risks continue to be excluded from production insurance, so the Tripartite continues to be a critical part of managing production risk.

There are further changes in Government guidance and the law on Covid though, so we have revised our Covid Shooting Guidelines and our testing recommendations again in the light of that and they are attached.

The new APA Covid Shooting Guidelines are much simpler. That reflects the change in Government guidance and that specific guidance for departments etc is no longer needed. 

There is still Government guidance though on what to do if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection including COVID and actions you need to take to comply with that guidance and with Health and Safety law- as an employer you still have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of anyone who comes into contact with your business.

There are steps in the Government guidance- and therefore in our COVID Shooting Guidelines to comply with those obligations:

• Encourage and enable vaccination
• Let fresh air in
• Maintain a clean workplace
• Wear a mask in certain circumstances- as set out in the guidelines.

The Guidelines no longer require a Covid supervisor because the much more limited Covid provisions can be managed without one.

You still need a health declaration by everyone attending the shoot but that too is much simpler.

Our new testing recommendations no longer recommend testing except for the specific circumstances set out in the document:

• You have people at high risk on set
• On-screen talent will be in very close contact

If required by the client or another relevant party e.g. a location.

Someone who is tested and gets a positive result should stay at home for five days as per the government’s guidance.

Please read the documents attached. We are happy to answer any questions on them of course.