On their 35th anniversary -to the day- Neighbours has announced it will suspend production -but only until next week- while it assesses filming procedures.

Producers, cast and crew hope to come up with a workable solution, such as smaller crews, to resume work next week.

Network 10 and Fremantle said in a statement, “Neighbours has decided to take a short break this week to ensure the production model in place can withstand any potential impact of the current COVID-19 situation. Today, all cast and crew met to discuss this issue as a result of a specific concern about the pandemic.

“Production will resume on Monday as planned with no interruption to the on-air or delivery schedule. The health and well-being of everyone on the set of Neighbours will always be our priority.”

Neighbours began on Australian television on March 18 1985.

Updated: A casual crew member advised they had been in contact with someone last week off set, not production related, who has since been diagnosed with the virus. The crew member is not displaying any symptoms and informed production as precaution.

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