The Oscars will be back to its glistening pre-pandemic glory this year, returning to Los Angeles’s Dolby Theatre with a full-scale event on March 27.
And while guests will be required to show a negative PCR or rapid antigen test taken on the day of the event, it is being reported that proof of vaccination against Covid-19 will not be required.
The Hollywood Reporter says the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will not mandate proof of vaccine, with or without a booster shot, for those attending the ceremony. However, the academy requires its own employees to be vaccinated.
While the Oscars will be adhering to the minimum safety requirements set out by the Los Angeles County Department of Health, other major awards shows taking place ahead of the Oscars have implemented a vaccine mandate for all guests.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards, for example, states that: “All ticketed attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination plus booster shot (if eligible), proof of negative lab-based Covid-19 PCR test within 48 hours of event, and negative antigen (rapid) test the day of the event.”
Last year’s Oscars ceremony was significantly pared back because of the spread of Covid-19. Hollywood’s biggest night took place at Los Angeles’s Union Station instead of its usual home, and was pushed back to April. Guests were put through stringent testing procedures, and many international actors were unable to attend, instead accepting awards via video link. It also took place without a host.
This year’s ceremony will mark the return of a host for the first time in four years, although the Academy is yet to announce who. The 2019 Oscars was the first in 30 years not to have a host. Comedian Kevin Hart, who was originally lined up to present the live ceremony, stepped down after a backlash on social media over homophobic tweets he had posted in the past, for which he later apologised.
That year, the Oscars opened with a performance by rock band Queen, celebrating the success of the film Bohemian Rhapsody. The reviews of the ceremony were well received, so broadcasting company ABC and the Academy Awards decided to go with a no-host format in 2020, too.
