EXCLUSIVE: Some cast and crew members on films and TV shows soon might be required to wear identification that “clearly and visibly” verifies their Covid vaccination status while working on set. “Various things have been discussed, from wristbands to credential badges,” a union source tells Deadline.
“I have not seen what this is to look like yet,” another union source said. “My understanding is this would be either a sticker affixed to your current ID or a separate identification card that would have to be on the same lanyard as your working ID.”
Another union source noted that while this doesn’t appear to have gone into effect yet, it will be up to employers to on a production-by-production basis.
Mandatory Vaccinations On Productions An Option Under Return-To-Work Protocols
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Central Casting, the leading casing company for background actors, notes on its website that “in order for Producers to enforce rules on the production set that apply to fully vaccinated versus not fully vaccinated individuals, Producers may require workers to wear identification that display fully vaccinated versus not fully vaccinated status while on the production set.”
And while it doesn’t appear that this has gone into effect yet — at least not widely — producers are allowed to require their casts and crews to wear some type of vaccination identification as a condition of employment. The terms of the industry-wide Covid safety protocols, adopted in July, state that “Producers shall establish a system by which an employee’s entitlement to work under protocols applicable to vaccinated persons will be clearly and visibly identified while working so that the terms of this Agreement may be properly administered by the Covid Compliance Supervisor.”
The protocols give producers the option to implement mandatory vaccination policies for casts and crews in Zone A on a production-by-production basis. Zone A, where unmasked actors work, is the most restrictive of the safe work zones on sets.
In June, SAG-AFTRA authorized producers to implement policies for mandatory vaccinations, provided that “vaccination records are maintained securely by employers and available only to those with need to know.” According to SAG-AFTRA, productions must also have “procedures in place to engage in interactive process with those requesting ADA (Americans with Disability Act) or religious accommodations, and must include the procedure for initiating a request in notices of the vaccination policy.”