Netflix Requiring COVID-19 Vax for Actors and Other 'Zone A' Workers
Netflix prides itself on being ahead of the curve. And they don't want COVID-19 slowing their productions down.
With productions back underway, Hollywood desperately wants to get back to normal. When you have a production schedule like Netflix, you have to. They released over 70 movies last year, and hundreds of TV series as well. It's imperative to shoot so you have something new to attract and retain an audience.
To make sure they won't pause production, Netflix is trying to make sure the main actors and people who come into contact with them have the best protection possible against the coronavirus. That means they have to be vaccinated.
The streamer just informed production teams and all producing partners that it will be requiring vaccinations for everyone working in “Zone A.” Netflix has a zone system for who works where on the set. Zone A consists of the actors and those in close proximity to them.
As reported by Deadline, there are several new return-to-work protocols agreed upon by the Hollywood unions and major studios. These agreements give producers “the option to implement mandatory vaccination policies for casts and crew in Zone A on a production-by-production basis.”
So Netflix is taking advantage of it and making vaccines a requirement. Even with reports that a booster might be necessary to combat the delta variant, the overwhelming science says vaccinated individuals can avoid severe cases of the virus. And I would assume when boosters are available, they can require Zone A to get them too.
We'll wait to see if any other studio follows suit.
