LOS ANGELES — The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has lifted the production hold put into place in March in response to the coronavirus pandemic and released a set of preliminary health and safety guidelines from the organization's COVID-19 Task Force.
The FSC announcement follows:
Since late April, the FSC COVID-19 Task Force has met twice a week — as well as spoken with advisory groups of producers, performers, and medical experts — to discuss benchmarks for lifting the production hold and developing the guidance needed to safely resume production.
We are now releasing those guidelines and removing the voluntary production hold that has been in place since March 15, for productions that meet the following criteria:
- Mainstream film production is permitted in the jurisdiction where the shoot will occur.
- The company or independent producer responsible for the shoot has a written safety plan that includes COVID-19 infection prevention and response protocols.
Preliminary Health and Safety Guidelines for Adult Film Production
FSC has created a web page for COVID-19 Resources for the adult industry. This page includes a link to download the Preliminary Health and Safety Guidelines for Adult Film Production.
The guidelines have been developed by an industrial hygienist to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection and transmission on adult film production sets of all types. The document provides general guidance and suggested procedures but does not contain mandatory requirements regarding how the plan should be implemented nor how production must be done.
PASS Modifications for COVID-19
The Preliminary Health and Safety Guidelines for Adult Film Production include a recommendation that every person who will be on the set of an adult film production be tested for COVID-19 prior to each shoot. (See page 12 of the guidelines document for additional details about testing.)
In order to aid in the verification of COVID-19 test results from PASS-Certified lab networks, FSC has made modifications to PASS.
- All on-set personnel can have their test results sent to PASS, not just talent.
- In addition to the clearance to work information related to the PASS Panel of STI tests, the display now includes the date of the last negative COVID-19 test, along with the number of days since that test was taken.
- There are no changes to the PASS Panel of STI tests, and no changes to the display of the clearance to work associated with that (green check/red X, expiration date).
Testing for COVID-19 through a PASS-Certified lab network is not mandatory. If talent or crew take a COVID-19 test elsewhere, it will need to be verified by viewing their test results as received from a lab outside of the PASS network. (See the PASS FAQ for more information.)Legal Liability
There is no way to eliminate the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace. Each member of the adult industry will need to evaluate their tolerance for risk when deciding when and how to return to production safely. FSC can only provide guidance, and any decision a business makes needs to be based upon the regulatory rules of their jurisdictions, the needs of their specific business, and the advice of their lawyer.
Updates and Questions
Follow @FSCcrisiscomms on Twitter to remain informed about any developments regionally and nationally that impact the adult industry. For questions not answered below or by reading the guidelines, visit XBIZ.net for the discussion thread about the Preliminary Health and Safety Guidelines for Adult Film Production.
FAQ
Why “mainstream film production” and not “adult film production”?
For the purposes of lifting the production hold related to coronavirus, we have aligned with the reopening of mainstream film production. No jurisdiction is likely to state specifically that adult film production can resume as part of their reopening phases.
A love scene in a mainstream film production has as much potential exposure to COVID-19 as does a sex scene in an adult film production. Coronavirus is not sexually transmitted. Though the virus has been found in semen in limited studies, it has not yet been proven to be transmissible in that form. However, saliva appears to be one of the most efficient methods of transmission.
How do I know if film production is legal in this jurisdiction?
Check with your state and local film commissions or film permitting agencies. To find your local film commission, see the Association of Film Commissioners International’s directory.
Does this mean it is safe to shoot?
No. The coronavirus pandemic is ongoing, with the number of cases and the positivity rates rising in multiple regions where adult film production occurs. However, given that COVID-19 is not specific to adult production, you cannot eliminate the risk of COVID-19 exposure and infection, but you can reduce the risk by choosing the safest production situations possible.
- It is safest to create content alone or with people who live in your household
- Face-to-face contact increases your risk of infection
- Activities involving contact between mucous membranes (oral, vaginal, anal) increases your risk of infection
- Each performer you add to a scene increases your risk of infection
- Each crew member you add increases your risk of infection
- Shooting indoors increases your risk of infection
- Shooting in a location you don’t control increases your risk of infection
- Traveling to a shoot outside of your city increases your risk of infection.
Follow FSC online and on Twitter.
To participate in a Q&A with FSC representatives about the guidelines, visit XBIZ.net.
