Netflix To Require Covid Vaccinations For Cast, Some Crew
Last week, Hollywood unions reframed their Covid protocol agreements with the studios. Now it seems that Netflix is the first of the big outfits to fully take advantage of these new rules, putting in place a rather blunt requirement: If you want to be in a Netflix movie or TV show, you have to be vaccinated.
What This Means
All actors or anybody in "Zone A" (i.e., anybody who works in direct contact with any actors) will require proof of vaccination before being hired, per Deadline.
It's a big move. Individual productions have implemented similar mandates, but this is the first time a major studio has made it a blanket requirement for all productions.
Breakthrough infections can happen, but the odds of an out of control spread are drastically reduced among those vaccinated, so this means that those on sets making your favorite movies and TV series will have more freedom to create in safety.
I've spoken to a few filmmakers who have worked during the Covid crisis and each one describes it as a much tougher job than usual. Lines of communication are limited, you can't have the people on hand you're used to relying on, and it's generally a more lonely experience.
Certainly, these new vaccination mandates will improve morale on sets which can often translate to a more loose creative environment, which can only benefit these shows.
Obviously, any vaccine mandate is going to be met with resistance, whether it's on a movie set or at the local grocery store. But when the vast majority of virologists and scientists agree that the only way out of the current pandemic is for everybody to get the shot, then you have to listen to the experts.