MIAMI — Talent Testing Service principal Sixto Pacheco spoke to XBIZ about yesterday’s reports of COVID-19 positive tests outside of the PASS system and stated that, at this time, TTS does not "see anything that is affecting production."
Pacheco spoke to XBIZ this morning and shed light on the current contact-tracing and communications practices developed by TTS after its decision last month to leave the PASS system regulated by the Free Speech Coalition (FSC).
Pacheco explained the procedure that is triggered when TTS records a COVID-19 positive. “We advise either the crew or the talent that they need to isolate for 14 days and we recommend that they let us know if there are people in [their] immediate circle that should be tested,” he said.
“We tell the talent and the talent refers them to us,” Pacheco added.
The TTS head also explained that, in terms of contact-tracing and calling for production halts, back when TTS was part of PASS, there was “a difference for chlamydia and gonorrhea, than for HIV.”
TTS's current, post-PASS protocols, according to Pacheco, include following up with talent, a doctor notification process, a HIPAA consideration and the recommendation that people within and outside the industry get “tested as they can.”
Asked if, at this time — Wednesday, July 15, around 12 p.m. (PDT) — there was a reason to call a production halt due to COVID-19 results, Pacheco stated, “At this time we don’t merit that.”
Yesterday, the FSC put out an announcement referring to concerns about “at least a dozen publicly unreported positive COVID-19 tests among talent and crew testing outside the PASS system, including some who had previously worked on set.”
“We have reason to believe there may be many more,” the FSC added. “We are alarmed by the lack of transparency and the risk it creates for the adult industry. We are working to substantiate the data, and will follow up later today with more information. We reiterate that we do not believe it is safe to shoot at this time.”
XBIZ has received reports of talent and crew testing positive for COVID-19 both in Florida and in the Los Angeles area.
Pacheco told XBIZ that current TTS protocols for a potential production hold would include “press releases through [adult industry trade publications], Twitter and text notifications.”
As for a threshold of cases to recommend a production hold, Pacheco expressed that “every situation is unique [and] you can’t set a number.”
As of right now, Pacheco reassured the adult industry, “we don’t see anything that is affecting production.”
“The testing protocols are in place to protect the talent as best as we can,” he added. “Under the current pandemic situation, we are doing as much testing as we can to make sure everyone is as safe as possible.”
