Georgia is the first U.S. state to release official guidelines for getting the entertainment industry back to work amid the pandemic.
Days after Tyler Perry released a lengthy document detailing how he plans to safely get back to work in amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of Georgia is doing the same.
This morning, Governor Brian Kemp unveiled an 11-page PDF that lays out best practices film and TV productions will need to take to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The recommendations were developed with officials from studios and production companies who maintain a presence in Georgia, which was, of course, one first states to ease up restrictions and open more businesses in the face of the outbreak. Other state's guidelines for their entertainment industries are expected to be released soon, with Governor Gavin Newsom telling the public to expect California's on Monday.
Georgia's protocols include much of what has been discussed among industry leaders and circulated in other safety guidelines: frequent hand-washing, the use of personal protective equipment, avoiding physical contact if at all possible, ensuring fewer shared objects and encouraging private transportation. The document also runs through many individual on-set departments (i.e. craft services, wardrobe, hair and make-up, camera) and lays out more specific recommendations based on the role.
"We are so grateful to the hardworking people who make up and contribute to Georgia’s incredibly successful film and TV industry, and we thank them for all the ways they have given back throughout the state’s response to COVID-19," said Governor Kemp. "The Georgia Film Office has maintained their close work with industry executives to develop these outlines for how productions can help protect cast and crew members. These best practices are offered as an addition to any industry-wide labor and management recommendations for protocol."
Before the virus, which brought film and television production activity to a halt across the globe, Georgia had set a new record for filming during fiscal year 2019. The 391 film and television productions that shot in Georgia spent $2.9 billion in the state, supported 3,040 motion picture and television industry businesses, and delivered $9.2 billion in total wages. Georgia is not only home to Tyler Perry Studios but also one of the Pinewood Studios locations, which churns out big-budget studios films like Disney's Marvel movies.
"Every element of what has made Georgia such a unique place for film — landscapes, production facilities, a skilled and growing workforce, with a pipeline of new labor thanks to the Georgia Film Academy and our College and Career Academies — are still in place, just as they were before this global pandemic," continued Kemp. "Last year, Georgia set a new record for film, and we will continue to work with our partners in the industry to get Georgia back on the same track that made our state the successful production center that it has been for years."
Read the full document below.
