Covid protocols for Cannes 2022: Masks, testing not mandatory this year
The Cannes Film Festival is going to remove Covid-19 restrictions ahead of its 75th edition. According to Variety, the annual film festival will not test attendees, as it did last year, and will not mandate masks for screenings and events.
"Since the health pass is no longer in application in France, guests will not have to show proof of testing or vaccination to enter the Palais," Cannes general secretary Francois Desrousseaux said.
"Most participants will likely be vaccinated anyway because France has made it very complicated for non-vaccinated travellers to enter the country.," he further added.
The Cannes general secretary also pointed out that around 95 percent of the adult population in France has already received two shots of the Covid-19 vaccine.
"We're in a very different situation than last year because the curve of Covid-19 infections is going down, instead of going up," the Paris-based executive added.
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Another big change from last year is that masks will not be mandatory indoors, however, will instead be strongly recommended. Desrousseaux also said that Cannes staffers will be wearing masks.
The 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 17 to 28.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 cases in France had declined by 30% as of April 29, indicating that the rate of infection is lowering. Film festivals and award shows, on the other hand, have been super-spreader events, with events like SXSW, the Oscars, and the British Academy Film Awards resulting in the many Covid infections.
The absence of mandatory testing, according to Desrousseaux, should come as a relief to all those whose vaccination cards didn't qualify them for the health pass last year, particularly British and American guests, who had to undergo a complicated saliva test every two days in a pop-up lab adjacent to the Palais.
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-PTC News
