Oscars attendees will not wear face masks during ceremony

The 2021 Oscars won't make face masks a requirement during its live ceremony, which is scheduled to take place this Sunday. As per Variety, the Academy is not asking Oscar attendees to wear face masks while cameras will rolling during the live ceremony.

The news was announced on Monday morning during a Zoom meeting with Academy representatives and nominees, and studio and personal publicists. Because the ceremony -- being held at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles -- is being treated as a TV/film production, masks are not required for people on camera, an Academy staffer explained. However, when guests are not on camera, they are being asked to wear masks. For example, masks should be put on during commercial breaks.

The Academy also revealed that audience capacity will be limited to 170 people. As Variety first reported earlier this month, audience members will be rotated in and out of the ceremony. Upon arrival at Union Station, nominees will receive a personalized itinerary that outlines what times they will be rotated in and out. Oscars co-producer Steven Soderbergh remained mum on face-mask protocol during a press conference with co-producers Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher. He said on Saturday that masks would play "a very important role in the story." "If that's cryptic, it's meant to be," he added. "That topic is very central to the narrative."

The meeting included a detailed walk-through of what attendees should expect at Union Station. A temperature check will be mandatory. Attendees must also take at least three COVID tests in the days leading up to the ceremony. An abbreviated red carpet will include three photographers and a limited number of press outlets doing interviews, including ABC News, KABC and E!. International outlets will be from Japan, Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Brazil, Spain, Mexico and Australia. There will be at least seven feet between reporters and interviewees.

In addition to virtual press-conference-style interviews backstage, winners will have the opportunity to do virtual interviews with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest for 'Live With Kelly and Ryan' as well as Lara Spencer of 'Good Morning America'. The 93rd Academy Awards will air live on April 25 starting at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on ABC.