The risk of Oscar 2022 becoming a super infectious outbreak

According to Variety“Covid-19 will ruin Oscar Awards Ceremony?” is a big question that worries the Academy. The world’s most anticipated film awards event will take place on March 27 (local time) at Dolby Theater, Los Angeles, USA.

Currently, the organizers are considering precautions to prevent an unwanted nightmare – the awards ceremony, honoring the works of the Academy of Arts, has become the new outbreak in Hollywood.

Before that, the BAFTA awards ceremony had a similar situation. Most of the guests tested positive for nCoV after attending.

The Oscars ceremony is one of the most anticipated events of the year in the entertainment industry. Photo: Getty, Vogue.

Efforts to avoid Oscar becoming an outbreak

Currently, the condition for guests to attend Oscar 2022 is to present a negative PCR test certificate and full vaccination results.

Two days before the event, the Academy updated the new rules for guests as “negative for nCoV within the past 5 days and absolutely banning guests with Covid-19 from attending, without exception.”

Meanwhile, F0 who have recovered from the disease and want to appear on the red carpet must provide a confirmation that they have been negative for nCoV for at least 6-10 days. “Tests must be performed by a specialist, reputable hospital,” The Academy issued an announcement.

As for reporters and journalists, the organizers recommend that they minimize the spread of Covid-19 by not appearing at the same time in closed spaces, limiting their work, and interviewing family and friends. and the winners’ colleagues.

The brightest candidates in the Best Picture category at the 94th Academy Awards (from left: CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, King Richard and The Power of the Dog).

According to Variety, the Academy requires such strict because the number of people infected with Covid-19 is continuously increasing. Exposure to many people in closed spaces poses a risk of disease outbreaks.

On March 24, health officials in the US announced that the number of cases of infection with BA.2 – a contagious new variant of the strain of Omicron – in public places increased by 130% in a week.

The unpleasant fact is that the BAFTA awards ceremony took place on March 13, causing dozens of people to contract Covid-19. Among them are actors Kenneth Branagh, Ciaran Hinds, producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller of The Mitchells vs. the Machines… These are preliminary results only, excluding guests and non-reporters.

Plus, the spread of Covid-19 at recent events like the SXSW Film Festival in Texas worries the Academy. Duong Tu Quynh contracted Covid-19 after participating in the movie premiere Everything Everywhere All at Once.

In addition, the Academy is also worried that the awards ceremony will lose its appeal because of the absence of A-list stars. After years of bottoming in ratings, they are trying to find a way to revive the views for the grand prize. Recently, a number of nominated actors expressed concern about contracting the disease, so they did not dare to attend the Dolby Theater – where the Oscars are held.

Actor Jamie Dornan told Variety that he hopes his colleagues in Belfast – the film was nominated for the category of Best Picture – present, but in reality that is unlikely. “I can’t imagine going to the Oscars without them,” Dornan said.

Before that, the host of the show, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall all made satire about Covid-19. They cannot deny that it is dangerous to hold the award ceremony in a closed space, while the epidemic has not subsided.

“Who else hasn’t had Covid-19 yet?”

According to Variety, The Oscars ceremony was just one stop in the long and wild fun around Los Angeles on March 27.

After receiving the award, the winners and guests, reporters… continued to appear at the Oscars post-party do Vanity Fair organization. This is what is really worrying. Because they party together, eat socially without using masks.

Some members of the organizing committee told Variety that they are currently trying to do the best they can to comply with the Covid-19 protocols issued by the authorities.

The closest approach is to ask guests to show proof of adequate vaccinations (including a booster shot instead of two), providing negative evidence within 48 hours. However, there is no requirement that guests wear masks. The Oscars just “encourage” the stars to do it.

“Hollywood stars are ready to party despite the risk of contracting Covid-19. They don’t think it’s a big deal because their family and loved ones are mostly F0 who have recovered from the disease.”the source told Variety.

Most guests did not wear masks at the pre-Oscar party hosted by W magazine on March 24. Photo: W Magazine.

This person also thinks that appearing at the Oscars ceremony is a show of privilege. Most of the stars have escaped the worst of the pandemic because they have money and access to the best healthcare in America.

Before that, at the outdoor party before the Oscars due to the magazine W Held on March 24, the question that many stars repeated at the party was: “Does anyone have Covid-19 yet?”.

The guests joked that the Oscars ceremony could be a “super-contagious” place. Although worried, wearing a mask at parties is unlikely.

Denis Villeneuve was one of the few celebrities seen wearing face masks at the pre-Oscar party. That’s a good sign because at least Villeneuve and the film crew Dune lower risk of contracting Covid-19. Dune is currently a remarkable work when nominated by the Academy for 10 categories, including Best Film.

Since Covid-19 appeared, the film business industry went through difficult times. The outbreak of disease on set became a factor in delaying production.

Industry insiders hope the epidemic will be reversed, but the appearance of an infectious variant like Omicron serves as a reminder that there is a long way to go before things return to the way they were.

Just a month ago, the business was ready to return. Now, a series of new infections, including people who re-tested positive, cases of infection at major awards ceremonies… continue to make people in the film industry depressed.

“The epidemic is not over yet. We always wish the pandemic would be over soon, but you see, things are spinning.”a person who was about to attend the Oscars said to Variety.

According to Zing