June
15, 2021
6 min read
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During the pandemic, many audiovisual productions had to stop to protect everyone’s health. However, Amazon developed an anti-COVID19 protocol that allowed the production of the second season of The Game of the Keys, created by Marisa Quiroga and located in Mexico, to continue. The producers decided to join with the Mexican company Equiver to develop and apply the necessary health measures so that the recording could be carried out without contagion by COVID19.
Patricia López is the CEO of Equiver, a company with 12 years of experience in the health sector that specializes in clinical diagnostic tests and molecular biology. To stay at the forefront, it recognizes that it is essential to be innovating, that is why five years ago they began to carry out molecular PCR tests. In this way, when the pandemic arrived, they were ready to launch this product on the market.
Equiver has AENOR certification to function as a consultant in the design, development and execution of COVID19 Protocols, following the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, the Federal Commission for the Protection of Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS), the Institute for Diagnosis and Epidemiological Reference (INDRE ), local authorities in Mexico and the Centers for Disease Control of the United States.
In an interview with Entrepreneur en Español, Patricia explained how, thanks to the protocol they put in place, it was possible to contain the health risk during the recording.
Entrepreneur en Español (EN): How did Amazon and Equiver start working together?
Patricia López (PL): I first studied a diploma at the University of Berkeley on how to start a small company, at that stage I meet several people who help me put together a project and introduce me to the director of Corazón Films, Sandro Halphen-Weisz, he has to do The Judge of the Keys and one of his allies is Amazon. Then Amazon implements a protocol to be able to work. We adopted this protocol and did the clinical laboratory with a response time of 10 hours.
EN: What were the strategic points to start planning a safe production?
PL: We have to train people, prepare them to know what the pandemic is, be in constant communication with the experts on: how to establish a safe zone, how to stay healthy and how to protect your co-workers. Knowing the production area was very important to be able to carry out the sanitization steps. One of them was to train most of the staff and external people for the correct use of face masks and a good hygiene culture, they also had to raise awareness in the hotel to separate tourists from production, as specific and private places were assigned for this. .
Photo: c ourtesy Equiver
EN: What is the anti-covid protocol created by Amazon?
PL: Participants have to sign documents where they agree that they will be given a certain number of tests, a notice that they have received their training course and that they will enforce the protocol. To enter the health bubble, they have to do two tests: the first 14 days in advance and the second 72 hours before to prevent the virus from entering. Once inside, they are isolated for five days to see if they do not have any symptoms, before leaving they are given a final test to see if they can work. Inside it is provided the necessary material to maintain good hygiene such as face masks, disinfectant, sinks, masks, glasses, etc.
EN: What were the biggest obstacles within this organization?
PL: I believe that the people around the production, for example, the people who are not convinced of the pandemic and do not wear masks, or the areas without ventilation and the barriers to coexistence, which we resolved by conducting constant tests . You can remove the mask, managing the healthy distance, but with the people who are in the bubble constantly monitoring each other.
EN: Sure you learned a lot from the process, do you plan to change anything in the protocol?
PL: Yes, there are many things. Mainly the subject of mental health, that we were discovering with the day to day. Each person reacts differently to confinement and we have learned from each of them. Accompanying the positive patient has made us more sensitive to the situation and we have seen that it has to improve. Even the issue of taking the sample is very important, we have clients who do not say that they prefer one nurse over the other because it is more sensitive. If your eyes are crying and your head hurts, having a nurse who is patient with you, who talks with you, who gives you the time you need is very important because it is something that they have to do very often.
EN: What advice would you give to other productions?
PL: Stick to the budget and assess how important risk mitigation is. That they look for an external company that is in charge of managing the COVID19 protocol and are in constant communication with them. Also look for a reliable laboratory that uses reliable reagents and does not put many people in a single reaction just to save money.