The Cannes Film Festival, which is set to kick off May 17 in the French Riviera, is drastically relaxing COVID health and safety protocols.
The annual Film Festival will not test attendees as it did last year and will not create a mandate to mask at shows and events.
diverse He spoke exclusively with Cannes’ general secretary, François Desrosso, who has worked out protocols with festival organizers, producers and Cannes regional authorities over the past two years. One big change compared to 2021 is that the health pass that made it mandatory for all attendees to show evidence of vaccination, immunity or test results has been rescinded since March 14.
“Since vaccination is no longer required to enter the palace and to access performances or press conferences, guests will be able to come and go without having to go through check-ups,” Desrosso said. “Most of the participants will likely be vaccinated anyway, because France has made it too complicated for unvaccinated travelers to enter the country,” the executive said. He also noted that nearly 95% of the adult population in France had already received two injections of the vaccine. “We are in a very different situation as it was last year because the curb on COVID-19 infections is declining, rather than rising,” said the CEO in Paris.
As of April 29, COVID cases in France are down 30%, indicating a slowdown in the infection rate. However, film festivals and award shows have been high profile events, with the likes of SXSW, Academy Awards, and BAFTA Awards leading to many COVID cases.
Desrousseaux said the absence of the mandatory test should come as a relief to all those whose vaccination cards did not qualify for a health clearance last year – particularly British and American guests – and therefore had to undergo the required saliva test every two days at the pop-up lab adjacent to the palace.
Although Cannes will not set up a 300-square-meter testing lab again, guests will be able to get a PCR test at a lab located in Cannes, a five-minute walk from the palace. Desrosso said that non-French citizens will be charged a fee of 43 euros.
Another change from last year is that masks will no longer be mandatory indoors, but will instead be highly recommended. But Desroso said the crew would have been wearing a mask. He said the Palais des Festivals was the first meeting venue in France to receive the GBAC STARTM Facility label (US certification issued by the American Biorisk Advisory Board) and the Ecovid label. “This basically means that the Palais uses top-notch CO2 sensors that are double-checked daily, and we continually refresh the air conditioning,” the executive said.
Two initiatives will be repeated for this seventy-fifth edition. For example, the medical cell inside the palace that will be staffed with a team dedicated to COVID-19, as well as a call center called Conciergerie Medicale that will allow international guests to get advice on how to navigate the French medical system and get a doctor’s appointment. The video consultation will be free and scheduled within 24 hours upon request.
Given the efficiency of last year’s stricter health protocol, Desroso said there were only 8 to 10 positive cases out of 1,500 tests per day. “Over the past few days, the number of cases has increased to 22 because the third wave was about to kick off but we were really lucky to avoid it,” he said.
In terms of participation, Desroso said the festival is on track to welcome nearly 35,000 accredited guests, compared to about 23,000 last year. The largest increase in participation comes from North America and Western Europe.
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