The Oscars will be held on March 27th this year, and The Academy will reply on testing alone for the small portion of people attending the ceremony. This year, the Oscars will require proof a COVID-19 vaccination for most of the audience, but not for performers or presenters, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided Thursday that nominees and guests will have to show proof of vaccination and two negative PCR tests to attend the ceremony. There was an option for the Oscars to mandate vaccinations for its cast and crew. The Academy will rely on testing alone for presenters and performers, adhering to COVID safety protocols set by L.A. County’s Department of Health. 

This new policy is a change from the report on February 9 by The Hollywood Reporter which was that the Academy was not going to require proof of vaccination at all for nominees and guests. Face covering requirements will vary, with some of the 2,500 guests at the Dolby Theatre allowed to go maskless and others seated in tighter areas will remain masked. Nominees and their guests will be allowed to go maskless. Other major award shows leading up to the Oscars are requiring 100 percent of attendees to be vaccinated. The Oscars will premiere on March 27th.