Southern California Production Hold
Dear Community,
On Monday, January 4th, 2021, a joint statement from JPC, SAG-AFTRA and the Producers Guild of America was released recommending a temporary hold on in-person production in Southern California until mid-January. You can see the full statement here.
The recommendation to halt production is due to the crisis facing Southern California hospitals. Hospitals are facing capacity issues due to post-holiday virus surges. That said, this is not a government-lead directive and production is still deemed essential and able to move forward without violating state or county orders. Film LA, as of the time of this statement, is still issuing permits. They are evaluating each request carefully based on the size and the scope of the project.
Additionally, representatives for Los Angeles County Department of Public Health warned that “although music, TV and film productions are allowed to operate, we ask you to strongly consider pausing work for a few weeks during this catastrophic surge in COVID cases. Identify and delay higher risk activities, and focus on lower-risk work for now, if at all possible.”
For any lower-risk work for which you and your clients may deem it safe to move forward with production, the AMA endorses using the Covid testing protocols followed by the AICP as well as the Teamsters, DGA and talent unions and the AICP’s Multi Union Safety Agreement. Please also note that the AMA Health and Hygiene guidelines are based on Appendix J, which is considered to be industry standard in regards to health practices for production.
We understand that these are trying times and difficult decisions to make. This information is designed as a service to the AMA community intended only to provide general information. We encourage you to speak to your legal representation and work with your clients to determine the best path forward for your productions.
Wishing you all a healthy, safe and successful New Year,
The AMA Board
