Coronation Street bosses have reportedly banned kissing scenes in a bid to battle the coronavirus outbreak.
To avoid spreading the illness on set, scenes are apparently being rewritten to ensure “limited physical contact”.
According to The Sun newspaper, producers are keen to protect the cast and keep the soap filming as normal.
A source told the tabloid: “Coronation Street shoots about six to eight weeks in advance, so viewers might see some kissing in the next month or so, but the scenes they’re shooting right now will have nothing of the sort in. They are taking no chances.
“The longer they can keep cast and crew well, the better, and if a storyline has to suffer slightly by losing a kiss so be it.”
ITV confirmed in a short statement: “Scenes with kissing or close contact are being altered to minimise contact.”
Meanwhile it’s been revealed that Coronation Street and Emmerdale will “remind people of important public health issues” amid the ongoing pandemic.
ITV Studios creative director John Whiston said of the soaps (via BBC): “Because we script and shoot so far in advance we don’t generally reflect contemporary issues.
“However we are going to use the soaps to remind people of important public health issues such as the need to wash their hands. We’ll try and do more such messages going forward.”
It’s also been claimed that the show could reduce to two episodes a week if filming has to be halted.
A spokesperson for the show said that “our priority is the wellbeing and safety of all our colleagues and everyone who works with us on our shows”, adding that they were currently “confident that we’re able to continue with our filming schedule”.
A number of TV shows have already been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
Tuesday saw the BAFTA TV Awards postponed and on Monday it was revealed that Line Of Duty and Peaky Blinders have both been forced to stop production.
A number of shows have had to change their formats, with no live audiences for Saturday Night Takeaway and The Voice UK.
Looking ahead, the likes of Eurovision and Love Island could also be at risk of not airing in 2020.
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