A voluntary moratorium on adult production was declared a month ago after an HIV outbreak in the porn community infected five actors and brought the industry to a grinding halt.
Numerous production companies were said to have taken part in the production halt that officially ended on May 12, while many others altered their practices to either include the use of condoms or restrict scenes that are considered "high risk."
According to Vivid spokesperson Ellie Reeve, Vivid resumed production on Saturday and will continue the same mandatory condom policy it has adhered to for nearly seven years. Vivid will also continue to require that all talent provide proof of a recent HIV test with negative status.
The same day the moratorium ended, Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Adult Industry Health Care Foundation also released 19 actors from its quarantine list who had come into contact either directly or indirectly with one or several of the five infected actors. Those actors and others on the list were being tested and re-tested before allowed them to resume their professional work.
AIM had originally asked for a 60-day moratorium in the industry, but its staff met with microbiology specialists on HIV who confirmed that the 19 performers had undergone sufficient testing and could be released from quarantine.
“As specialists in this field it is our view that the HIV would have clearly referenced by all of these methods in maximum of 30 days,” AIM said in a press release on the day of the moratorium lift. “[AIM] wishes to thank you for your participation in keeping the industry healthy and abiding by all guidelines, set forth to protect the industry from the spread of HIV.”
Owned by Steve Hirsch and David James, Vivid is considered one of the largest producers of video and DVD titles, in addition to distributing films to cable and satellite channels and providing Internet pay-per-view access. Vivid is also home to the Vivid Girls, a roster of big-name porn actresses like Ginger Lynn, Jenna Jameson, Tera Patrick and Savanna Samson.
Vivid was founded in 1984 and produces more than 50 adult films each year.
