FSC: How to Deal with Possible COVID Exposures On Set

According to the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the organization is “seeing an increased risk following the Thanksgiving holiday.” They have thus have issued some guidance as to how to deal with possible exposures.

Read their recommendations below or on their site here.

[COVID] infection rates in the general population are now the highest they’ve been since the start of the pandemic. If you are involved in production, we ask that you be especially vigilant about safety precautions, including, in order of importance: 

— social distancing

— limiting set personnel and travel

— increased use of PPE like face coverings

— frequent testing, no longer than 48 hours before each shoot

Producers who are able to postpone production, or otherwise limit risk are advised to do so. Our industry’s response to the threat has been exemplary, but the rise in cases nationally is increasing the risk for those in the adult entertainment community.

Following the Thanksgiving holiday, FSC PASS learned of several incidents of positive COVID-19 tests among crew members and adult performers returning to work in Los Angeles. Testing, the use of on-set safety precautions, and precautionary quarantines largely stopped these cases before they were able to spread in the workplace or more widely to other members of the community. However, workers on several sets have quarantined.

Testing is important, but is not foolproof. In at least one case, a person tested negative and reported for work, only to be informed later of a close COVID exposure in their personal life. The person later tested positive, resulting in a quarantine for those they worked with.  

Rigorous testing has kept incidences of COVID-19 relatively rare on adult sets, but a negative test is not a guarantee that someone is safe to work on set. COVID-19 has a short incubation time, and a high false negative rate. This means that a person could test negative, but still be infectious, or become infectious within a relatively short time frame.

The CDC recently released new guidelines on precautions that those who have been exposed should take. Based on those:

If you have worked with or been in close contact with someone after they had a known exposure: quarantine for two days following the exposure, while that person retests.

If you have worked with or been in close contact with someone who tests positive: quarantine for seven days following the exposure and retest before returning to work.

Remember: a negative test result during this time period does NOT necessarily mean you have not been infected. The uncertain incubation period of the virus means that you can appear negative the day you test, but be infectious the day after.

If you have tested positive for COVID-19: immediately quarantine for 10 days starting from the date you went to get tested or the onset of your symptoms, whichever was first.

We ask that anyone who has tested positive, or has been exposed to someone who tested positive, contact FSC PASS at pass@freespeechcoalition.com or (818) 348-9373 as soon as possible for assistance with contact tracing. We are here to help prevent community spread.

For more information on prevention, testing and quarantining, visit CDC.gov.