According to a source close to the matter, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will not require Oscar ceremony attendance to be vaccinated. Only a recent negative Covid test will be required of attendees. Deadline has not been able to get a response from the Academy.
Other huge, broadcast events, such as this weekend's Super Bowl, the Lakers and Kings games at Crypto.com Arena, and others, will no longer have to meet the same conditions.
Guests at such indoor and outdoor "mega-events" (defined by an audience of over 500 indoors and over 5,000 outdoors) must either be vaccinated or have a positive test result, according to the Los Angeles County Health Department. Both are available at most venues and events.
The issue of masks, on the other hand, could be a major concern for the event. The county has a policy of requiring them to be indoors at mega-events, and the prospect of a sea of masked faces at the Oscars is a far cry from the glittering image the event has become known for.
Masks and crowd size are still being discussed, according to the source. If the Academy decides to reduce the event's guest list to less than 500, there may be some leeway.
The County Public Heath Department requirement for masks at mega-events states that “masks are required to be worn by everyone, 2 years age and older, regardless of Covid-19 vaccination status, in…all indoor public settings, venues, gatherings, public and private businesses.” That includes so-called indoor mega-events with crowds of more than 500 people.
As anyone who has seen a Lakers home game or the recent NFC Championship game at SoFi can confirm, many huge indoor and outdoor events have simply not enforced the law. According to county guidelines, the venues themselves are responsible for enforcing the masking ban under fear of (potential) fines, although it appears that no such fines have been imposed. The Dolby Theater could just follow suit and hope for the best, but the sight of thousands of sports fans donning masks would certainly have a different effect than the sight of hundreds of celebrities donning masks.
"This is not the right time to stop wearing our masks indoors and in crowded outdoor settings," County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer warned earlier this week, before going on to establish a framework for reducing Covid mitigation measures as the current Omicron surge passes. By the end of March, the needs in that framework may be met. Ferrer, on the other hand, added a new criterion yesterday.
The FDA's approval of immunizations for children under the age of five is the most recent requirement for relaxing masking rules at indoor mega-events (and many other venues). According to Ferrer, this will happen by the end of the month. The municipal restrictions would be relaxed once there has been enough time for those children to get vaccinated and then have the immunizations take effect, she said. It would take eight weeks, according to Ferrer. It's been eight weeks since the vaccine for children under the age of five became available. According to basic logic, the regulations for mega-events would be changed in late April.
However, by Sunday, March 27, all of it may be irrelevant.
On February 16, California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that numerous state-level restrictions, including the requirement for vaccinated citizens to wear an indoor mask, will be lifted. He's also said that next week, the state's "endemic plan" will be unveiled, which should provide a more moderate set of instructions for dealing with the illness.
Although local laws may be stricter than those of the state, such a softening will put a lot of pressure on the city of Los Angeles. officials to do the same. In fact, it has already begun.
"My concern is that these will become provisions that will last in perpetuity. Committing to keeping these in place until late spring is inconsistent with measures across the country and the state."
