Neighbours Suspends Filming Amid Coronavirus Fears

Neighbours is closing their doors. There are new reports that say the Australian soap has decided to suspend production amid coronavirus fears. To date, over 200,000 people from around the world have been infected by the novel virus, while the death toll has now passed 8,000 people, with nearly half of them being in China.

Covid-19 News: Australian Soap Neighbors Suspends Filming Amid Coronavirus fears

In Australia, government leaders have warned that the coronavirus outbreak is a ‘once-in-100 year’ crisis, with officials now urging citizens to stay home, self-quarantine and practice social distancing. As of Wednesday, there were more than 450 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Australia. Large gatherings of more than 100 people have been also banned.

Now both Australia’s Channel 10 and Fremantle Media said because the health and the wellbeing of the cast and crew is their top priority, a decision has been made to halt filming. A spokeswoman for the network told the press in a statement, “Neighbors has decided to take a short break this week to ensure the production model in place can withstand any potential impact of the urgent Covid-19 situation. The health and wellbeing of everyone on the set of Neighbours will always be our priority.”

Daytime Television Suspends Filming – Soap Stars Social Distancing At Home

Similarly, networks and production companies in the U.S. have also taken action, with all four of the major soaps taking a break from filming new episodes as well. In the past week, it was announced that General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless and the Bold and the Beautiful will all cease filming until at least mid-April. Many daytime television stars have been taken to their social media accounts to speak out about the matter, urging fans to stay at home and practice social distancing. Others have documented how they are passing the time at home with their loved ones.

Furthermore, reports say that the decision to halt production was made after Neighbour’s cast and crew met on Wednesday to discuss their concerns about the pandemic. This year has been particularly hard for the citizens of Australia, after having endured the massive summer bushfires that killed 33 people earlier this year.

So far producers have made no additional comments as to when they plan to return to their normal filming schedule.