Coronation Street Spoilers: Corrie Stops Filming, ITV Confirms COVID-19 Outbreak On Emmerdale Set

Coronation Street spoilers confirm ITV has shut down filming due to the rising COVID-19 cases across the United Kingdom. The news was reported by ITV’s spokeswoman, who estimates the production halt will begin on Monday, January 25, and is expected to last two weeks. During the filming break, storylines will be rewritten and some scripts will have to be edited.

ITV Spokeswoman Confirms Shutdown

Corrie spoilers reveal that the ITV soap is just one of many TV and movie productions that are being disrupted due to the global health crisis. Deadline reported that the hiatus was confirmed today, on Friday, January 22. The spokeswoman explained,

“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. 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.”

Will TV Schedule Change?

Last year, all TV and film sets went dark in the United Kingdom, as well as the United States and many other areas across the globe. The lockdown lasted for months and while networks tried to stretch new episodes by trimming the number of episodes airing each week, that can only go so far. This time, there will be no schedule changes. The soap will continue to air on ITV six times per week. The network does not anticipate any issues with running out of new episodes. Of course, the pandemic is a fluid situation, so things could change.

COVID-19 Outbreak On Emmerdale Set

Coronation Street spoilers reveal that the ITV soap is shutting down due to the COVID-19 situation outside of the set, as well as to edit scripts and rewrite storylines. However, Emmerdale halted production last week for a problem that hit close to home, The Sun reported. The soap had a COVID-19 outbreak on set and was forced to stop filming. The cast and crew have stayed home since last week and will reportedly be coming back to work next week, just as Corrie goes dark.

More COVID-19 Challenges

Even though it is a difficult decision to shut down ITV’s biggest brand shows, it is a necessary precaution that can prevent more problems later on. In the UK, new strains of the coronavirus are nudging the case numbers upward. Daily positives were close to 70,000 earlier this month. However, the lockdown is having a positive effect on squashing the virus. Cases are dropping, which is great if the trend continues.

Even so, soap execs face challenges they never expected with the pandemic. The bubbles on set need to stay protected. Plus, the UK government recently removed TV and film production from the travel exemption list. This means everyone associated with filming, both in front and behind the cameras, are required to quarantine for 10 days. Let’s hope that COVID-19 numbers continue to decline so everyone can get back to their normal lives.

Be’ sure to catch up on everything happening with Corrie right now. Come back here often for Coronation Street spoilers, news, and updates.