Covid-19: Sundance Film Festival attendees to be offered booster shots

The Sundance Film Festival has planned to offer Covid-19 vaccine booster shots to all eligible in-person attendees.

According to Variety, following last week’s festival mandate in the USA requiring all participants in screenings and official events to show proof of three vaccination shots, Sundance is putting resources into offering boosters on the ground in Park City, Utah.

Over a series of calls this week, international artists and producing teams were informed of the offer, two individuals familiar with the matter said.

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While the initiative has not yet been formally announced, the CDC’s guidelines for booster eligibility say individuals must have received their second Covid vaccination at least six months prior to a booster shot.

In the USA boosters are also only available for those who are age 18 and older. Sundance is scheduled to run from January 20 to 30 and will also mount a hybrid virtual edition.

In-person gatherings have been dropping from Hollywood calendars recently, as the omicron variant has stormed the US. This includes the Wednesday cancellation of the annual Palm Springs Film Festival, and before that, the film academy’s annual Governors Awards and the Critics Choice Awards (both slated for January).

Sundance is proceeding with extreme precautions. Individuals familiar with the festival pointed out that the smattering of cancelled events are largely splashy gala celebrations where guests eat, drink and double-kiss all evening.

Having banned food and drink and mandated masks for the duration of film screenings, Sundance remains confident it can mitigate omicron risks, said the insiders, as per Variety.

• Americas