Scott Baio, Kristy Swanson Movie Failed to Comply with COVID-19, Child Actor Rules: SAG-AFTRA Claims

UPDATE 11:25 a.m. 6/16/2020

On Monday evening, Swanson slammed SAG's statement, denying their claim that the production company did anything against the rules.

"Why did they send this out, and why are you posting this utter nonsense? We did everything SAG asked us to do for filming. SAG has been my Union for 40+ years. We always follow the rules. Period. What is going on?" the actress wrote on Twitter.

When a fan replied to Swanson and quoted part of SAG's statement Tuesday morning, the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress wrote back, "The whole thing is BS."

PREVIOUSLY:

SAG-AFTRA has issued a "do not work" order for the film "Courting Mom & Dad," claiming the production company didn't adhere to safety protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, the guild intervened, accusing the producers of the movie -- which stars Scott Baio and Kristy Swanson -- of having "failed to comply with LA County Health Orders and SAG-AFTRA protocols in connection with COVID-19 as well as California regulations related to minor performers," according to a statement obtained by Deadline.

The notice said that SAG-AFTRA members "are hereby instructed to withhold any acting services or performance of any covered work for this production until further notice from the union."

The labor union's statement also noted that members who accept employment on the film may face "disciplinary action" as it "may be considered a violation of Global Rule One."

Global Rule One, which was enacted in 2002, states: "No member shall render any services or make an agreement to perform services for any employer who has not executed a basic minimum agreement with the union, which is in full force and effect, in any jurisdiction in which there is a SAG-AFTRA national collective bargaining agreement in place."

Deadline added that SAG-AFTRA didn't elaborate on their decision to issue the "do not work order" for "Courting Mom & Dad."

According to IMDb, the family film, from Revenge Movies LLC, follows the story of three children who "seek the help of an eccentric personal injury attorney in order to stop their parents' imminent divorce."

TooFab has reached out to the production company for comment.

SAG's statement came just a few days after film and TV production was permitted to resume in California. Production has been shut down since March due to the pandemic, which has also caused a handful of film releases to be delayed.

LA County's safety protocols for restarting production were announced last Thursday, just one day before production was officially allowed to resume.

The detailed list of safety guidelines, which were put in place by County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, includes health checks for all vendors and employees when they arrive on set, social distancing protocols, the designation of a workplace COVID-19 Compliance Officer (C19CO) and "regular, periodic" testing of the cast and crew.

The employer is also required to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection prevention supplies needed on set. All cast and crew must wear cloth face coverings when they are in contact with others, "unless the production activity does not allow for the wearing of a face covering."

As of June 16, LA County has over 73,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 3,000 reported deaths. The county continues to be the hot spot of California, where over 150,000 people have been infected and over 5,000 have died.

The US has over 2 million cases and more than 116,000 reported deaths.

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