- Academy Awards attendees won’t need to show proof of vaccination to attend the event.
- Instead, they’ll only be required to show a negative PCR or ART test on the day of the event, said The Hollywood Reporter.
- Industry insiders claim strict COVID-19 rules would prevent certain big names from attending this year’s Oscars.
Attendees to the 94th Annual Academy Awards won’t be required to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status, and will only have to provide a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or rapid antigen test result on the day of the event, according to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter.
THR said that the requirements imposed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences comply with the Los Angeles Department of Health’s latest mandates. The report noted, however, that other award shows still maintain a ban on unvaccinated attendees.
“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,” the Critics Choice Association’s chief operation officer Joel Berlin told THR. The Association will be hosting the Critics Choice Awards on March 13.
The THR report also noted that the Academy currently has vaccination requirements in place for its employees.
This year’s Oscars are set to be held on March 27 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Strict COVID-19 testing regulations were put in place for last year’s ceremony, which was held at the Union Station in Los Angeles. The event saw just 170 in-person attendees; barely a tenth of the capacity of the Dobly Theatre, where the awards are usually held, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Last year’s show also featured a scaled-down red carpet, pre-recorded perfomances, and an on-site COVID-19 testing facility, while attendees also had to wear their masks when no on camera, said the Times.
According to industry insiders, the Academy’s previous COVID-19 restrictions could have left some big industry names — including past winners and the casts of this year’s nominees — unable to attend this year’s event, THR reported.
Insider has reached out to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for comment.