COVID-19 Prevention for the Motion Picture Industry

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Massachusetts Department of Public Health

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Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Coronavirus Prevention for the Motion Picture Industry: Best Practices

Paul Heinzelmann, MD, MPH Updated: March 12, 2020

What are the characteristics of COVID-19 as we know them today?

Symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath are most common. Transmission​: droplets (thankfully not airborne like measles or TB). Incubation period ​(period before symptoms start): 2-14 days. Outcomes:

  • Mild disease with full recovery: approximately 80%

  • Serious illness: 16%

  • Severe complication rate (ex. ARDS): 5%

  • Death rate: 1-3% (may be overestimated due to limited testing)

  • Greatest risk for those over age 60 and those with chronic illness.

What to do if you become sick

  • Don’t be stoic. Notify someone higher in the food chain that you are not feeling well.

  • Wear a facemask and self-isolate if you have flu-like or even mild cold symptoms (i.e. fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose).

  • Stay 6 or more feet away from others.

  • Cough and sneeze in your elbow or a tissue.

  • If need be, call a doctor first, don’t just go to a doctor’s office or ER.

  • Consider using a telemedicine virtual visit or house call if that’s an option.

  • Check local hospitals/health departments for coronavirus hotlines or websites for assistance.

  • Note: commercially available diagnostic testing for coronavirus by nasal/throat swab will soon be an option and will no longer depend on processing at public health offices.

  • Don’t forget about the risk of influenza.

Prevention Best Practices

Individuals

  • Wash hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds with soap and water and/or hand sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol.

  • Clean your common surfaces frequently with disinfectants.

  • Avoid handshakes and touching your face, eyes, nose and mouth.

  • Avoid sharing food, cups and utensils.

  • Use social distancing and stay at least six feet away from people who are potentially sick.

  • Invest in a thermometer of your own.

  • Masks - but only if you are sick.

  • Self-quarantine if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or travelled to one of the growing list of Level 3 risk countries (See CDC website).

  • Get the flu vaccine if you haven’t. The risk of influenza is still real.

  • Stay informed by reviewing the ​CDC’s coronavirus website​.

Production Executives, Managers and Coordinators

  • Instill a health & safety-focused culture, and distribute these prevention best practices to the entire cast and crew.

  • Insist that people stay home if they are even mildly ill - but particularly if they have a cough or fever.

  • Purchase and distribute an abundance of hand sanitizers for cast and crew.

  • Make sure the set medic, safety officer, UPM, AD, stunt coordinator and any others responsible for health & safety are up-to-date on the topic of coronavirus and can act as reliable health advocates.

  • If you can, provide a supply of surgical masks to the set medic to distribute as needed.

  • Get and place extra sinks if you can.

  • Assign specialized production janitors/sanitizers to the crew roster to service all departments with EPA-approved disinfectants.

  • Minimize human congregation and avoid air travel whenever possible.

  • Consider teleconferences & virtual meetings (i.e. Zoom) rather than face-to-face communication.

  • Pre-arrange options for local healthcare services; medical offices, hospitals, house call services, telemedicine/virtual care for people who do get sick.

  • Consider connecting with your local public health department to develop a plan if multiple people become ill during the production.

  • Recognize that these are unusual times, and prepare for the use of insurance days.

Paul Heinzelmann, MD, MPH is a Primary Care and Urgent Care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, Instructor, part-time at Harvard Medical School, and the founder of ​SetMD, a​ practice dedicated to providing care to the motion picture industry. ​www.SetMD.org​