Home and Away producers aren’t taking any chances amid the coronavirus pandemic as filming continues in Sydney’s Palm Beach.
Ada Nicodemou, who plays Leah Patterson-Baker, was surrounded by crew members in face masks while rehearsing a scene with co-star Darcey Wilson on Thursday.
It comes after Australia’s other major soap opera, Neighbours, halted production earlier this week after a COVID-19 scare on set.
Home and Away… but not as you know it: Ada Nicodemou was surrounded by crew members in face masks while rehearsing a scene in Sydney’s Palm Beach on Thursday
Ada dressed casually in a singlet, shorts and sneakers, while Darcey wore a yellow ‘Good Vibes’ T-shirt.
At one stage, Darcey clasped her hands over her mouth and nose while a makeup artist attended to her.
Meanwhile, a sound operator covered their entire face with a piece of fabric.
And… action: While things looked normal in front of the camera, behind the scenes things were different. Ada is pictured with co-star Darcey Wilson
Safety measures: At one point, a makeup artist was seen attending to the pair while covering her mouth and nose. A sound person covered their entire face with a covering
Carrying on: The pair appeared in high spirits, despite coronavirus fears
On Tuesday, Ada discussed her fears about the health crisis in an Instagram video recorded from her dressing room.
‘I don’t even know why I’m videoing. I’m just feeling quite anxious and scared. I hope everyone out there is staying safe,’ she said.
‘Yeah, just be kind, everyone. We’ll get through it. Yeah, I’m just feeling really flat today. Alright, stay safe.’
Shutdown: On Wednesday, production for the Australian soap, Neighbours, shut down due to a coronavirus scare
Home and Away’s interior scenes are filmed in Sydney’s Eveleigh where they was recently a case of coronavirus ‘in the building’.
The exterior scenes are filmed in Palm Beach, 41km north of the CBD.
On Wednesday, Neighbours temporarily shut down production due to a coronavirus scare on set in Nunawading, Melbourne.
But staff returned to work on Friday after an employee who had come into contact with a COVID-19 patient tested negative.
Health crisis: COVID-19 is devastating the world and putting countries in lock down
Producers are now taking precautions to reduce the spread of the deadly virus, including dividing up the crew and allocating work areas to enable social distancing.
COVID-19 is devastating the world and putting countries in lock down.
In Australia and as of Friday, there are 756 confirmed cases of coronavirus and seven deaths.
Precautions: On the set of Neighbours, producers are now taking precautions to reduce the spread of the deadly virus, including dividing up the crew and allocating work areas to enable social distancing
An 81-year-old woman died on Thursday from the illness, becoming the latest victim.
On Friday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian again implored people to adhere to social distancing measures in order to limit the speed of the virus’ spread.
‘What we want to make sure is if we control the spread and keep the numbers very low as to who is actually needing to go into intensive care – and at the moment it’s only a handful of people who are in hospital because of this illness – that’s where we want to keep it,’ Ms Berejiklian told the Nine Network on Friday.
Will Home and Away be put into lock down? On Friday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian again implored people to adhere to social distancing measures in order to limit the speed of the virus’ spread
‘We are not on top of it and nobody is, but we are still at a stage where we’re managing it and we don’t want to lose control and that’s why it’s important to socially distance.’
The latest death from the virus comes ahead of all non-citizens and non-residents being banned from entering the country from 9pm on Friday.
Australians and their direct family members will still be allowed in but must self-quarantine for 14 days.
Pandemic: As of Friday morning, there are 756 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia and seven deaths