WWE (finally) institutes policy for mask-wearing during COVID-19 pandemic

WWE announces fines for those not wearing masks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused havoc on many industries in the world, including professional wrestling. WWE faces continued scrutiny for the way the promotion has handled current times as more information about the pandemic has become known. Last month news of its second positive test leaked to the public and that was just the start of a situation that revealed multiple individuals tested positive for COVID-19. On Friday news broke that the WWE is mandating the use of masks for staff and performers while at television tapings.

Finally.

According to PWI Insider, the WWE informed staff and on-air personalities that masks are required for everyone, except those that are performing on camera, at that time. Breaking this mandate comes with a financial cost as first-time offenders will be hit with a $500 fine, which will increase to $1,000 for the second offense.

The WWE has struggled with its management of the COVID-19 pandemic. As news broke last month that the organization was only doing pre-screening instead of actual testing. When the first round of testing was completed, it was revealed that the number of positive tests reached double-digit numbers. This came at a time when the promotion was using talent on-air as a makeshift crowd, many of which were not within social distancing guidelines nor wearing any type of facial protection. In the tapings since the news of the outbreak, some individuals have been shown wearing masks within the crowd, but that has not stopped the scrutiny of how WWE has handled the matter.

WWE EVP’s questionable response

“The health and safety of our superstars is first and foremost paramount. It comes down to leadership in many ways. Our leader [Vince McMahon] believes we have a social responsibility to put fans first and to help them get a break from what was coming and what we’re in the midst of,” said John Brody, WWE EVP of Global Head of Sales and Partnerships while speaking on a conference call with Sports Hiatus. “We leaned in to say ‘we’re going to put fans first’ and do everything we can, working with state, local, and federal officials to make sure it’s safe for our most important resource, the WWE superstars, and we’re going to do whatever we can to deliver content for our partners and our fans.”

These last few months the WWE has struggled to respond to current times as not only ratings struggle, but the organization completed a series of highly scrutinized layoffs back in April.