FSC Further Investigating Positive COVID-19 Tests

LOS ANGELES – The FSC has provided an update to its earlier tweets announcing that it had learned of “at least a dozen publicly unreported positive COVID-19 tests among talent and crew testing outside the PASS system.”

“Today, FSC learned of at least a dozen positive tests for COVID-19 among talent and crew in the past few weeks, including a small number who had already resumed working,” the FSC said in its full statement, issued Tuesday evening. “These tests were done outside the FSC PASS system, and were not reported to PASS or FSC directly by the lab or persons tested.”

FSC said the information concerning the positive COVID-19 tests was “relayed to FSC confidentially, through individual reports from multiple sources which we believe to be accurate,” adding that the organization is “attempting to confirm the numbers directly with the lab, but have not yet received a response.”

The FSC said that “while most of these tests were for performers who had not yet worked on a formal set, we have no information as to whether or not they had been in contact with other performers, either socially or through off-set content trades.”

“As this was done outside of PASS, we do not know if contact tracing has been conducted, or to what extent,” FSC added. “We do not yet know the geographic breakdown of the positive tests, nor do we know if the contacts of the infected performers and crew members are fully quarantining for 14 days, as recommended by the CDC.”

In addition to the positive COVID-19 tests recorded outside the PASS system, the FSC revealed in its statement that “we have had one positive test within the PASS system, by a performer who had not worked on an adult set within the window of transmission.” The performer was “determined by doctors not to have had any potential exposures to other adult workers” and is currently in quarantine, the FSC added.

In its statement, the FSC reiterated its position that while there is no formal production hold in place, the organization does not consider it safe to resume production at this time.

“In the past several weeks, as state and local governments lifted restrictions on film production, we have repeatedly warned our members that we do not believe it is yet safe to shoot,” FSC said. “Additionally, as many PASS clinics have not yet been able to incorporate testing for COVID-19, and labs that do have so far declined to share those tests with the larger community, there is a potentially outsized risk. Given the limited amount of production that has resumed, even a small number of tests could represent a significant infection rate in the production pool.”

“We are not currently calling for a formal production hold, but are investigating the situation, and will advise the community as we learn more,” FSC added. “If you are a performer or crew member who has tested positive for COVID-19, we ask that you contact FSC to help assist with risk assessment and contact tracing. Your information will be kept confidential.”