COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols for the Utah Film Industry
May 4, 2020
As of May 1, 2020, Utah has moved from a state of “Urgency” (red – high risk) to a state of “Stabilization” (orange – moderate risk) as part of the Utah Leads Together Plan.
Please refer to the Phased Guidelines for the General Public and Businesses to Maximize Public Health and Economic Reactivation that any production must implement to manage the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Please note, individual productions may need to adapt the guidelines to specific circumstances, but the overall intent of these guidelines should be applied in all cases. These guidelines are expected to evolve as government requirements change and as industry experience informs best practice.
We will continue to update this page with resources from the film industry as they become available.
PERMITTING
In this current state of flux, health departments across the state are still addressing what the “stabilization” phase means for their area and how that will affect the business operations of several different industries, including film.
At this time, film permitting across the state will consider several factors including, but not limited to, a production company’s COVID-19 guidelines to be implemented for cast, crew and general public safety that would need to be shared with the local health department for approval. Operational protocols should also include increased hygiene and sanitization, production provided PPE masks and gloves worn by all off-camera cast/crew, strict social distancing measures, meticulous monitoring of symptoms of cast/crew/ATL, etc.
Currently, the National Parks in Utah are mostly closed with the exception of Bryce Canyon National Park which will be opening with some limited access to viewpoints on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Utah’s State Parks are open with some restrictions in place. Any filming requests in these areas would be considered on a case by case/park by park basis.
Whether private residences and businesses will allow filming would be of their own determination as long as the guidelines set forth by the state and local health departments are adhered to by the production. Check the Location Database for more information about available filming locations.
The Utah Film Commission is still researching and discovering what restrictions apply toward filmmaking in Utah during this current phase of the pandemic and we will be doing our best to share the information that we currently have and update as we gather more, so please check back regularly.
Allie Russell is the Marketing Coordinator at the Utah Film Commission and is based in Salt Lake City. For any press and media inquiries, contact the Utah Film Commission at film@utah.gov.