The Block will continue production in Melbourne, but has closed the site to non-essential visitors.

Nine.com.au reports Executive Producer and creator Julian Cress said they are taking the situation very seriously.

Work stopped on the Brighton site this morning as cast and crew watched the address from the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister was clear this morning that despite people’s fears that they were just going to shut everything down, we can’t,” said Cress.

“If everything gets shut down, everything stays shut down, and the economy to a degree, may not recover.

“It’s really important as he said this morning, that construction sites remain open.

“The Block is an economic entity, it’s not just a construction site, it’s also the livelihood of many freelancers and people who need to feed their children and get through this.

“We are going to follow all of the practices and all of the advice that has been given, we are practising social distancing, we are putting into effect everything that has been suggested from the beginning and we will continue to put things into effect as that advice gets updated, but for now, we want to continue.”

Contestants from Perth, Brisbane and South Australia would also be reunited with their families, contrasting with the usual separation that surrounds filming.

None of the five couples have told producers they want to suspend work.

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