The Los Angeles County Health Department has defended Sunday night's Emmy Awards, where no social distancing measures were in place and few, if any masks were worn by those attending the ceremony.
Masking mandates are currently in place in the the city for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
The experience was referred to by actor Seth Rogen who said the experience was like being 'in a hermetically sealed tent.'
But the LA Health Dept stressed how 'exceptions are made for film, television, and music productions, as additional safety modifications are made for these controlled interactions.'
The L.A. County health department says Emmys were exempt from mask requirements, and insists award show was COVID safe
No social distancing rules were followed and it did not appear as though masks were being worn
Seth Rogen called out the Emmys for packing people inside during his monologue to open the show
'The Emmy Award Show is a television production, and persons appearing on the show are considered performers,' the department wrote in a statement. 'All persons appearing on or in the audience of the Emmy Award Show were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
'The Emmys reached out to Public Health in advance to share their safety protocols, which exceeded the baseline requirements for television and film productions. Careful planning before large events is essential to assure that all health and safety requirements are adequately addressed.'
The Health Department was also informed that all those who attended tested negative for COVID within a 48-hour window prior to the event, according to Fox News.
Those working at the event including production crews who were also required to be vaccinated and had to show a negative test twice a week.
The awards ceremony also received criticism for forcing staff to wear masks while celebrities did not have to
People took to Twitter to point out the hypocrisy of Covid rules that apply to the average person but don't seem to apply to multi-million dollar celebrities
'Full vaccination of all attendees is one of the most powerful ways to achieve a safe environment. Testing of event participants and crew and optimizing ventilation are additional powerful tools,' the Department of Health wrote in a statement. 'Public Health will continue review the protocols of future large television production events and prescribe additional safety modifications to mitigate risk of COVID-19 transmission.'
Rogen, who was presenting the first award of the night seemed taken aback, saying the guests were 'lied to about it being outside.'
While the Emmys was technically considered as an 'outdoor event,' the ceremony took place inside an enclosed tent.
'Good to be here at the Emmy Awards,' Seth Rogen said.
