Sundance Film Festival planning to offer booster shots to attendees

The Sundance Film Festival is planning to offer booster shots as a part of its health safety operations. Photo: TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah — The Sundance Film Festival plans to offer COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to eligible attendees, according to an exclusive report in Variety.

The move has not been formally announced.

The festival recently updated its health safety protocols, requiring booster shots rather than just two vaccine doses. The event is set to run from January 20 to 30 in Utah.

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To be eligible for a booster, the CDC says you must have received your second COVID-19 vaccination at least six months prior.

COVID-19 cases have surged locally, nationally, and globally in the past week. On Thursday, the New York Times said the global tally of new coronavirus cases had passed one million per day on average for the first time since the pandemic began.

Summit County has broken case count records in the past week, with 136 new cases reported Tuesday. The Utah Department of Health recorded 3,303 cases on Wednesday, the highest mark since January.

Sundance will be utilizing a third-party company (PandemSafe) to verify proof of vaccination. Individuals will upload their vaccination card into the PandemSafe portal via a link sent to their email. The email will be generated when someone purchases a ticket or will be available under the How to Fest section of Sundance’s website starting January 6.

PandemSafe will verify the uploaded vaccination card within 1-2 days from upload before the festival and 2-4 hours during the festival. The individual will then be sent a QR code. The code allows users to get a wristband at the hubs when they come to the festival. Individuals may show a paper vaccination card at a hub to get a wristband as well.

If someone is not verified at the hubs, Sundance will accept QR codes at the theaters but not paper vaccine cards.

Theaters will operate at reduced capacity, with no eating or drinking allowed in theaters. Capacity is also being reduced for most of the festival-operated events.

Vaccine verification hubs will offer free COVID-19 testing as well.

Employees, volunteers, and onsite contractors are required to be tested at check-in and mid-way through the festival.

Artists, press, and industry are required to be tested within 48 hours before arrival or upon arrival. Additional testing is required for private events and for artists participating in Q&As, programming, and press lines.

Both PCR and rapid antigen tests will be offered and accepted as proof of a COVID-19 test.

For tests taken outside of the festival’s testing hubs, results will take up to 4 hours to receive.

Once uploaded, the test result will be valid for 48 hours, starting from the time of testing.

Sundance employees and volunteers will also undergo daily health screenings.

Current hubs:

Kearns Bonanza Corner (Old Maverick Station)