Oscars Won’t Require Covid-19 Vaccination for Attendees in L.A.

The Academy Awards, that are scheduled for March 27 on the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, received’t require proof of vaccination in opposition to covid-19 for attendees, in keeping with a stunning new report from the Hollywood Reporter. The choice runs counter to different leisure trade award exhibits just like the SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards, which would require proof of vaccination.

Last yr’s Oscars ceremony was a particularly bare-bones occasion, held at Union Station in Los Angeles, and didn’t actually have a formal host. Vaccinations in opposition to covid-19 had been nonetheless comparatively new on the time, with the primary Americans getting vaccinated only a few months earlier.

But the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apparently needs this yr to be a return to “normalcy,” albeit with a a lot bigger demise depend within the nation’s wake. The U.S. has recorded over 911,000 deaths from covid-19 for the reason that pandemic started.

The Academy will nonetheless require a damaging covid-19 check, whether or not it’s a PCR check or a speedy antigen check, on the identical day because the Oscars, nevertheless it’s not clear precisely how the occasion goes to implement that coverage. The Academy has not but formally introduced its intention to not require vaccination, and it’s additionally up within the air whether or not masks shall be required, in keeping with Deadline. Events in Los Angeles County with greater than 500 folks require masks, however the Academy may attempt to preserve the checklist of attendees beneath that quantity.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the Academy’s alternative to not mandate vaccines is probably going an effort to keep away from battle with some huge title stars (emphasis ours):

Some trade insiders have speculated that the Academy is being much less stringent than it could possibly be as a result of quite a lot of high-profile trade figures—together with no less than one among final yr’s performing winners and distinguished members of the casts of a number of finest image nominees, as properly as nominees in different classes—would in any other case be precluded from attending the Oscars.

And whereas the commerce journal isn’t naming names, there have been quite a lot of anti-vaccine celebrities which have made their stances identified over the previous yr, together with Evangeline Lilly, Matthew McConaughey and Letitia Wright.

But the phrase “at least one of last year’s acting winners” doesn’t embody anybody who’s made a giant stink about covid-19 vaccines publicly. Last yr’s performing winners included Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Kaluuya, Frances McDormand, and Yuh-Jung Youn, none of whom have criticized covid-19 vaccines to our information. All that being mentioned, the Academy could need to deal with different pro-vaccine stars who don’t wish to attend an indoor occasion with individuals who refuse to get vaccinated in opposition to a critical illness.

The U.S. is at the moment seeing a decline within the variety of covid-19 instances, with 229,059 new instances on Wednesday. But deaths stay excessive, with 3,450 new deaths yesterday alone, in keeping with BNO News. Deaths are a lagging indicator and will stay excessive for a while, however everybody agrees that it’s nice to see these case numbers actually begin to come down from the highs of only a few weeks in the past.

But if we’ve realized something about airborne illness throughout this pandemic, issues can change shortly. And with a month and a half earlier than Hollywood’s greatest awards present, we could possibly be coping with a brand new variant of concern. Nobody is aware of. And that’s the purpose. Get vaccinated as a result of it’s the perfect change you’ve received at staying out of the hospital and doubtlessly dying from covid-19.

And don’t hearken to Hollywood stars who’re making an attempt to scare you into not getting vaccinated. The covid-19 vaccines are protected and efficient. And they’re saving numerous lives all over the world every day.