The Oscars will reportedly not require proof of Covid-19 vaccination in order to attend the in-person ceremony in Hollywood on 27 March.
Instead, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will require guests to provide a negative PCR test or a negative rapid antigen test on the day of the event, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported on Wednesday. Attendees are encouraged to be vaccinated and those who are not will have to comply with stricter testing requirements in order to attend.
This year’s ceremony will return to the Dolby Theater after a smaller, scaled-down event at Union Station in Los Angeles last year. This year will also mark the first time the event has had a host since 2018, though the Academy has not yet announced who that will be.
While technically in line with guidelines from the Los Angeles department of health, the lack of a vaccination requirement stands in contrast to other major awards shows. The Screen Actors Guild awards and the Critics Choice awards have both mandated that those in attendance show proof of vaccination and negative tests.
“We will be 100% vaccinated and require a negative PCR test within 48 hours of the event. I can’t invite people to a show where they’re not going to feel safe,” Joey Berlin, the chief operating officer of the Critics Choice Association, told the Hollywood Reporter.
The Sag awards are requiring guests show proof of Covid-19 vaccination, as well as a booster, a negative PCR test within 48 hours of the event and a negative rapid test that day.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke to a “highly connected industry insider” who called the decision “shocking”, referring to it as a move to accommodate anti-vaxxers in the industry, who would not be able to attend if there were such a requirement.
Oscar nominations were released on Tuesday, which saw Jane Campion’s Power of the Dog sweep the list with a dozen nominations.
Included among the nominees for best original song is Van Morrison, who has been outspoken about his thoughts on Covid, referring to “pseudoscience” and recording a song called No More Lockdown.
