Shoot healthy.
Best Practices for Production during COVID-19
These suggested best practices will help producers provide a safe workplace and protect against the spread of COVID-19. We encourage every individual to play an active role in maintaining a sanitized and healthy work environment. Please demonstrate flexibility and compassion as all departments will be defining and redefining new practices.
Costs and Rebate Program
Applying these best practices will add costs and extra hours to your work days. But this increased commitment to health will help ensure your production stays on track to completion. If your production is utilizing the Mississippi Motion Picture Incentive Program, purchases made with Mississippi vendors and businesses for health safety items and equipment will qualify with proper documentation.
Designate Personnel
Producers should identify and designate individuals to enforce health safety on set and in office/warehouse settings. Additionally, consider designating an individual or mechanism to receive concerns and issues confidentially in order to allow those reporting to remain anonymous.
Production Protocols
Travel / Quarantine
Currently, there are no requirements for quarantine or isolation upon entering Mississippi unless you are sick and symptomatic or diagnosed positively. Be aware that upon returning to your home jurisdiction, self quarantine may be required.
- Quarantine is defined as: “remain at home”
- Avoid all public activities including work, school, group religious activity, shopping, group entertainment
- If living with others, separate yourself or wear mask and gloves as needed and maintain safe distance
- Do not share personal items with others
- Do not welcome or host visitors
- Only leave for medical care (groceries and food should be delivered when possible), and in the event of emergency, call 911
Crew and cast should fill out a health questionnaire prior to first day of work to determine if individual could have had recent exposure. A sample document will be available on our website.
Hosting all cast and crew in a singular hotel with provided meals could help control the production environment and minimize exposure to the virus.
We recommend hiring a Mississippi-based crew as much as possible to minimize the risk of COVID-19 coming into the state from other locations.
On-Set Health
Diagnostic and serologic (antibody) testing is recommended in order to verify all personnel are virus-free at the beginning of production. We encourage you to designate qualified personnel such as set medic/nurse/COVID-19 compliance officer to monitor health safety on set and to verify outlined protocols in this document are in practice.
It is recommended that individual daily symptom screening and temperature checks are implemented by designated personnel with contactless thermometer before allowing anyone on set. PPE should be provided as needed. We also suggest additional temperature checks throughout work day. A chart of temperatures should be kept for duration of production.
Designated personnel will be mindful of cast’s and crew’s health and safety on set and will advise as necessary. If displaying COVID-19 symptoms, employee should be sent home and immediately contact a doctor or health care provider for evaluation.
According to the CDC, person-to-person transmission most frequently occurs via respiratory droplets by parties within six feet of one another, and evidence suggests the virus may remain viable on surfaces for hours to days depending on the material.
Note that symptoms could occur two to 14 days after exposure and can include, but are not limited to: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. Note that many individuals with the virus show no symptoms (asymptomatic) but can still transmit the virus to others unknowingly, which is why it is crucial that all members of cast and crew abide by suggested personal hygiene habits.
Vaccination is available to those living and working in Mississippi. Please visit https://covidvaccine.umc.edu for additional information.