Memorandum of Understanding Between Actors’ Equity Association and Employer Regarding Infection Control
Please note: This MOU does not apply to Production, Touring, Development Agreement, Special Agreement (City Center Encores! 2022 Season), Off-Bway League productions, LORT League productions or any other agreement that has in place collectively bargained safety protocols.
Only employers that do not have separately negotiated infection control safety agreements will use this Memorandum of Understanding. If you have any questions as to the appropriate safety protocols for your production, please contact your business rep.
The following Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) between Actors’ Equity Association and Employer defines general infection control and risk mitigation measures for the protection of actors and stage managers. It is not intended to eliminate the risks of infectious diseases but to reduce their likelihood of causing significant harm and business disruption.
Prior to auditions and in-person employment, the Employer shall conduct a risk assessment to determine the level of controls to be implemented to reduce infectious disease transmission. The assessment shall address:
- Infectious agents – how infectious, severity of illness
- The level of immunity – from vaccination or past infection
- The level of community transmission
- Type of transmission – droplet (masking, distancing, testing), aerosol (masking, testing, ventilation enhancements per ASHRAE Standard 241), direct contact and surface (fomite) (cleaning) and via food (transport, storage, preparation, personal hygiene) or water (source)
- The speed, accuracy, availability, and cost of disease specific tests
At the first rehearsal, the Employer shall provide an orientation of the risk assessment to the actors and stage managers, including replacements, that includes:
- Policies and education that support isolation and time off from work for potentially infectious employees.
- Policies and education encouraging appropriate vaccinations.
- Any additional protective measures for individuals at higher risk
- Information regarding sanitation practices in the workplace.
- Any limitations on touching/kissing
- Policies regarding use of masks.
- Policies regarding testing
- Practices for mitigating infections risks posed by audience members.
- Guidelines for employee conduct to reduce the transmission of infections within the workplace:
The Employer shall have the following procedures in place to respond to infection in the workplace:
- Procedures for identifying infection in the workplace.
- Procedures for removing infectious personnel from the workplace until they are no longer infectious
- Contact tracing
- Sanitation
- For major outbreaks, a process that includes case management, testing, additional controls and cleaning, pause in activity, and reporting to public health Authorities.
The employer shall provide its risk assessment and its infection control policy and procedures in writing to Equity, and to all actors and stage managers no later than first rehearsal.
V2 8/9/23
