02.04.21
HELLENIC MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORT 31/03/2021
FILE NUMBER: 130460
(EXACT COPY, DIGITALLY SIGNED BY EFSTATHIA MATSOUKA)
EXCEPTIONALLY URGENT
HELLENIC REPUBLIC
MINISTRY OF CULTURE & SPORT
GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURE
Address: Bouboulinas 20-22
ZIP Code:106 82 Athens
Telephone:2131322528
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SUBJECT: CORRECTED VERSION: GUIDELINES FOR SAFELY CONDUCTING PREPARATORY TASKS FOR AUDIO-VISUAL PRODUCTIONS
Relevant documents:
[a] The section from the minutes of the 195th meeting (05.03.2021) of the National Public Health Protection Committee against the COVID-19 coronavirus.
[b] The section from the minutes of the 202nd meeting (26.03.2021) of the National Public Health Protection Committee against the COVID-19 coronavirus.
[c] The letter of 05.03.2021 containing the request made by the General Secretary for Culture and Sport responsible for matters relating to Contemporary Culture to the National Public Health Protection Committee against the COVID-19 coronavirus [d] The document dated 12.18.2020 with file number ΥΠΠΟΑ /ΓΓΓΣΠ/720841/4313.
[e] Joint Ministerial Decision no. Δ1α/ΓΠ.οικ.17709 (ΦΕΚ 1077/τ. Β’/20.03.2021).
[f] Joint Ministerial Decision no. Δ1α/Γ.Π.οικ.18877 (ΦΕΚ 1194/τ. Β΄/27.03.2021).
[g] The "Public health security and protection from Covid-19 infection map” published at https://covid19.gov.gr/covid-map/.
This document is based on the guidelines and recommendations of the Hellenic Ministry of Health's COVID-19 Expert Committee and the "Public health security and protection from Covid-19 infection map” published at https://covid19.gov.gr/covid-map/. It provides guidance on how small film crews can safely conduct tasks involved in the preparation of audio-visual productions.
The measures detailed below will apply throughout Greece until such time as they updated. Interested parties are requested to regularly visit the announcements page of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport, where they will be notified of any amendments to these guidelines.
a. Authorization
- Permits can be applied for by means of the procedure instituted by dint of the joint ministerial decision currently in force in relation to regulations on distancing rules for rehearsals and film shoots. Such permits allow small crews to perform tasks relating to the preparation of audio-visual productions (location scouting, meetings between artistic or other core cast and crew).
- Interested parties should send their permit requests to this email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. A form must be completed and sent along with the request; the form in question is attached to this document as an annex. More information on the permit issuing procedure can be obtained from the General Secretariat for Civil Protection by telephone on the following numbers: 213 1510978, -969, -176, -190.
- In the case of international audio-visual productions in Greece for the purposes of which foreign partners come to Greece from abroad, the following special rules apply:
[a] Applicants should ALSO send the above permit application to the General Secretariat of Public Health at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More information about the permit application process can be obtained from the General Secretariat of Public Health by phone on 213 216 1236.
[b] The maximum number of individuals per crew allowed to conduct preparatory tasks is set at 15 (Greeks and foreigners); the responsibility for obtaining the relevant authorization/permit lies with the collaborating Greek production company.
[c] The foreign contingent must be accompanied at all times by a specially-trained COVID - 19 Supervisor with medical training (nurse, doctor, paramedic), who will be provided by the Greek production company.
[d] The application process requires that the sections on the attached form relating to partners from abroad must be completed.
- Interested parties who receive authorization must declare in writing that they have been made aware of the guidelines in question.
b. Arrivals Procedure for foreign partners
- Partners from abroad must have taken the PCR test 48 hours prior to their departure for Greece.
- The foreign contingent must be taken directly to their hotel, which must have been declared to the General Secretariat for Civil Protection as their place of residence during their stay in the country.
- On arrival, partners from abroad must take a new PCR test at their hotel, at the expense of the production company. The results of the tests must be retained and should be presentable on request.
- Given that the results are negative, the foreign contingent can begin work on the preparatory tasks the following day, in cooperation with the Greek team. Should the result be positive for one of the partners, the procedure prescribed by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection must be followed once the General Secretariat for Civil Protection has been notified directly.
c. Crew accommodation, travel and work schedules
- The Greek production company informs the General Secretariat for Civil Protection of the names of all crew members (from Greece and abroad), providing passport numbers for foreigners, contact telephone numbers, a residence address and a precise timetable detailing the crew’s movements.
- The crew members may only travel if they are in possession of a confirmation from the Greek production company which states the name of the project, their reason for travel, and an itinerary including visit times for each location.
- When travelling and visiting sites, all the public health procedures foreseen for the given activities must be followed (compulsory wearing of masks, safety distances, maximum number of people per type of transport, etc.) as these are laid out at https://covid19.gov.gr/covid-map/
- When visiting or meeting indoors:
•Indoor spaces must be kept well-ventilated. Only open-circuit air conditioners are permitted.
•Enclosed spaces must be disinfected using a 10:1 chlorine solution (meaning 9 parts water to one part chlorine) before and after every session. The same holds for the toilets. For surfaces which are likely to be damaged by the use of bleach (sodium hypochlorite), a 70% ethanol solution can be used. Particular emphasis should be given to surfaces which are touched frequently, such as door knobs, on/off switches, handrails etc.
•Antiseptic alcoholic solution (70%) should be available.
•Hygiene rules must be applied in toilets, including:
oGood ventilation
oClosing the toilet lid before flushing
oThe use of paper or plastic disposable seat covers is desirable
oRunning water and soap, paper towels and a foot-operated waste bin should be provided
oWhere possible, equipment equipped with a photocell or foot switch (e.g. for the tap, soap dispenser) should be used
oHand driers should not be used
oA line with places marked 1.5 metres apart should be in place for when queuing is required
oUse of a non-medical mask
oIf the sinks have not been used in a long time, it is recommended that the hot water should be left to run for five minutes before the first use.
oShowers should not be used
- Should the presence of a site supervisor be required, the supervisor should have had the PCR test previously at the expense of the production.
- The entire crew must complete a daily questionnaire which is submitted to the aforementioned Covid-19 Supervisor appointed by the Greek production company; the daily programmes must be approved by the supervisor.
- Crew members must not deviate from the program, which has been specified in detail (sites to be visited, visit times, length of stay at each site, time of return, mode of travel, etc.).
- Contact between foreign partners and the general public is not permitted.
- During the conducting of preparatory tasks (location scouting, meetings between the artistic departments and other key members of the cast and crew), additional PCR tests should be carried out twice weekly for all crew members.
- In the case of preparatory tasks lasting more than a week, the PCR tests must be repeated for all employees on any audio-visual production every 72 hours, and repeated should symptoms appear, regardless of any COVID-19 infection or vaccination that may have preceded them.
The above measures are indicative and cannot cover every possible situation; they must therefore be implemented in parallel with whatever broader measures are in force. For this reason, it is crucial to keep up-to-date with any relevant developments via the website of the National Public Health Agency at https://eody.gov.gr/neos-koronaios-covid-19/.
Everyone involved should demonstrate the requisite individual responsibility, thereby protecting both themselves and other people. Production companies in particular should take care to protect workers and to implement additional measures stemming from the particular features of a given site or visit, at their discretion. The permit application form is provided in an annex to this document.
The General Secretary for Contemporary Culture
Eleni Doundoulaki
Unofficial Translation by GREEK FILM CENTRE, Hellenic Film Commission
