`The Oscars’: No permission for `Covidiots’; vaccination, two negative RTPCR reports mandatory for attendees

People attending the Oscar awards function need to present vaccination certificates, and two negative RTPCR reports before entering the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has asked attendees to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination and at least two negative results from PCR tests.

Performers and presenters at the film industry’s highest honors also must undergo PCR, but will not need to show proof of vaccination, a source told a news agency.

Face covering requirements will vary at the event on March 27 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, according to the source.

Nominees and their guests in lower sections of the theatre will not be required to wear masks. They will be seated with more distance than usual between groups, the source said. The Dolby seats 3,317 people and 2,500 people will be invited.

Those seated in the mezzanine may be required to wear masks, as they will sit shoulder-to-shoulder. Covid-19 cases are declining in Los Angeles County and organizers are consulting with government officials and infectious disease experts.

The vaccination policies were first reported by the New York Times.

Comic actor Amy Schumer, actor Regina Hall, and fellow comedian Wanda Sykes, will host the awards, the first time three women will emcee the Oscars.

Director Jane Campion’s dark western The Power of the Dog leads the field of this year’s Academy Awards contenders with 12 nominations for the Netflix film, ahead of the 10 nods for science-fiction epic Dune.

Both will compete for the prestigious best picture trophy against Belfast, a drama about a family living amid sectarian conflict in late 1960s Northern Ireland; deaf community film CODA and Don’t Look Up, a darkly comic allegory about climate change.

Other best picture nominees include the Japanese drama Drive My Car, King Richard, about the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams; the coming-of-age story Licorice Pizza; thriller Nightmare Alley; and Steven Spielberg’s remake of the classic musical West Side Story.