Sundance Film Festival that will be a ten-day long affair starting from January 20 has updated COVID-19 protocols for its 2022 gathering in response to the rapidly spreading omicron variant.

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The event will now require all in-person attendees (employees, volunteers, contractors, general public, artists, partners, press, and industry) to be fully vaccinated, with all those who are eligible under CDC guidelines to have received booster shots.

The upcoming edition will be a hybrid event that has “flexibility for attendees to participate in-person and/or online”, reports people.com.

“The health safety of our community is paramount,” Sundance organizers said in a press release.

Other protocols include reduced venue capacity for festival screenings and events, as well as no eating or drinking in theaters. Festival-operated non-theater venues, including The Craft, The Filmmaker Lodge, The Box and The Shop, will have reduced capacity and food and beverages will not be permitted in these spaces during public programming.

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Attendees will also be required to wear masks in all venues and lines. Guests will be encouraged to continue wearing masks indoors when in public places or private shared spaces for parties or receptions, especially when not actively eating/drinking.

The Sundance Institute has partnered with PandemSafe to offer free tests to all participants and community members at specific vaccine verification and testing hubs located around the festival.

Employees, volunteers and on-site contractors are required to be tested at check-in and mid-way through the festival and encouraged to test every 48 hours throughout. 

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Both PCR and rapid antigen tests will be offered and accepted as proof of a COVID-19 test. Additionally, any FDA-approved COVID-19 test that displays a valid date and time of test taken and valid lab result will be accepted.