California is on schedule to fully reopen in June. The California Department of Public Health has released new health and safety guidelines for the state. The guidelines say that beginning June 15, there will be no more capacity restrictions—so restaurants, live events, workplaces, can resume operating at full capacity. Social distancing will no longer be required.
Everything Models + Actors Need to Know to Nail a Virtual Photoshoot For indoor events of more than 5,000 people, vaccine verification or a negative COVID-19 test will be required. For outdoor events of more than 10,000 people, the state “strongly” recommends (but not require) verification of vaccinations or a negative COVID-19 test.
The state still has some masking requirements. Vaccinated people can be maskless outdoors, except in crowded places—such as concerts or fairs. Vaccinated people can be maskless indoors if they are spending time privately with other vaccinated people. But generally, California still requires masks in indoor public places, including public transportation and schools, regardless of vaccination status.
Those who are not vaccinated are required to wear masks indoors; California also requires masks outdoors in crowded areas. And for outdoor events that don’t check whether attendees are vaccinated, the guidelines say: “Attendees who do not verify vaccination status should be asked to wear face coverings.”
When it comes to masking, California continues to be slightly stricter than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently made waves in the medical community when it said that vaccinated individuals can go without masks indoors and outdoors.
What these new guidelines mean for the entertainment industry is currently unknown. SAG-AFTRA still has masking requirements in place for productions until at least June 30, after which the union will renegotiate contracts with producers. Actors’ Equity Association has two different safety protocols, depending on if an acting company is vaccinated or unvaccinated—but both protocols still require masking for actors unless they’re onstage.