Coronation Street and Emmerdale have had to suspend filming to rewrite scenes after a member of the crew on the latter tested positive for COVID-19.
According to reports, there was an outbreak of the bug on the Yorkshire set of Emmerdale.
And now, producers have paused filming on both ITV soaps.
Filming suspended on Coronation Street and Emmerdale
The Sun reported that Corrie is suspending all work from Monday, while Emmerdale staff will return to the show’s set next week.
The break in filming will offer the production team the opportunity to refresh, after its members worked relentlessly to keep the shows on viewers’ screens in recent months.
Read more: Kym Marsh reveals she ‘really misses’ Coronation Street and ‘will’ return to the show
A spokesperson for ITV told the publication: “Coronation Street will pause filming from next Monday, 25 January for two weeks to undertake some rewriting of stories and scripts as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic.
This pause in filming won’t affect our ability to deliver six episodes of Coronation Street each week.
“We will also be taking the opportunity to review all health and safety requirements to ensure we continue to provide a safe working environment for the cast, crew and production team.
“This pause in filming won’t affect our ability to deliver six episodes of Coronation Street each week.”
Metro reported that some members of Emmerdale’s team tested positive COVID-19. Due to the Test and Trace app, those involved were isolating and filming will start again next week.
Elsewhere, a source told the newspaper that it’s been a “really hard year” for both soaps. That’s in light of them working through the “most difficult” period in the history of TV.
Giving the crew ‘a break’
The source went on to say that bosses decided “a break [was] in order”, calling the decision “almost unprecedented”.
It also reported that, during the break, script writers will work on rewriting upcoming scenes. That’s because they want to better reflect the pandemic as it looks right now.
The UK is currently in its third lockdown.
Read more: Coronation Street SPOILERS: Carla leaves Weatherfield?
And Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that, right now, it’s too early for the Government to be able to say when the restrictions will ease off.
The PM made the comments to reporters during a visit to flooded areas in Didsbury this week. He said: “I think it’s too early to say when we’ll be able to lift some of the restrictions.”
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