Zones, regular testing, and a red light system of determining if and when a production should be shut down are included in a package of Covid-19 safety protocols issued by the Producers Guild of America (PGA).

COVID Safety Protocols for Producing Independent Productions were drawn up by the PGA led by former PGA president Lori McCreary and are based on guidelines from other unions and guilds.

They include new guidance from the PGA that have not been seen or released before by other guilds, which encompass the Greenlight / Startup Questions, Red Light Protocols, and Prepro Recommendations.

The protocols, published on Monday (August 31), also contain plans for budgeting that are custom-made for producers and urge producers to reflect extra costs associated with implementing protocols.

The protocols also address the critical issue of insurance. Currently there is no policy in the US that covers Covid-19 and the government has not yet agreed to fund a backstop. Producers are advised to ensure they have either a private or government-backed insurance policy, and if not, then a written assurance from the project’s financier that they can self-insure. 

Specific to the PGA plan, productions are to establish red light protocols in the event a member of the production shows Covid-19 symptoms and the production may need to shut down. These cover testing, isolation, retesting, workplace sanitation, and contact tracing.

The full white paper can be found on the PGA website here. 

The PGA is in the process of creating a ’Tips from the Field’ online resource where producers and department heads can post tips and insights from productions they are working on.

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