Last update: May 22, 2023 12:30 pm
This page summarizes policies and procedures related to on-location film production for the control of COVID-19. It is updated whenever significant policy changes are introduced by our government partners, with the potential to affect how on-location filming is conducted within local communities.
Please note that as a contractor to the County of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, and other LA-area municipalities, FilmLA does not have policymaking authority or enforcement power regarding matters of public health and workplace safety.
The latest updates from FilmLA on Film Industry Workplace Safety and Federal State and Local Health Orders are available below.
FILM INDUSTRY WORKPLACE SAFETY
Until May of 2023, most L.A. based film, television and commercial projects operated within workplace safety guidelines developed by the industry in consultation with medical experts. These guidelines, codified in a Return to Work (RTW) Agreement, were enforced by industry labor unions for their members’ protection.
The RTW Agreement was originally introduced in July 2021 and extended and amended on occasion until its expiration until May 2023. While in effect, the Agreement outlined core protocols in matters such as PPE requirements; guidance for producers seeking to enact cast/crew vaccination policies; and rules for safer sets, travel, and transportation.
The RTW Agreement was preceded by Health and Safety Guidelines released in June 2020 by the AMPTP’s Industry Wide Labor Management Safety Committee (IWLMSC) Task Force, as well as a supplemental white paper, The Safe Way Forward, jointly authored by safety committee representatives from the DGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and the Teamsters.
STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH ORDERS
The US Federal Government ended its COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health ended its emergency declaration on March 31, 2023 and the State of California ended its State of Emergency on February 28, 2023.
On June 15, 2021, in connection with the State of California’s decision to move into a new reopening phase, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a new Health Order entitled “A Safer Return Together at Work and in the Community” and new Best Practices Guidance for Businesses to Prevent COVID-19.
These actions removed strict capacity limits, physical distancing requirements and many other previously required safety modifications applicable to local businesses, while encouraging vaccination to protect the community.
Specific, LA County-authored protocols pertaining to film, television, and commercial production, codified as Appendix J, and in effect since the summer of 2020, were retired through this action.