Was Summer Bay one of the few places to escape the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic?
That was the question that one Home and Away fan appeared to be alluding to when the viewer recently grilled longtime star Lynne McGranger about why the cast didn’t appear to be social distancing in scenes shown on air.
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The actress, who plays Irene Roberts, replied to the fan via Twitter and explained the rationale behind the move.
“Ok. So there’s no social distancing in SB [Summer Bay] because the writers and producers ( rightly) believe that our viewers desire some escapism,” she wrote.
Lynne insisted however, that strict health and safety measures are currently in place as they film the show.
She explained: “There’s no ‘apparent’ social distancing between the actors on set , however we were extremely strict with our sanitising, temperature monitoring.”
Home and Away is primarily filmed in Sydney, New South Wales, where restrictions were recently lifted and are close to pre-pandemic levels and vaccines are set to soon roll out across the nation.
In March last year, Home and Away’s production was shut down temporarily as COVID-19 fears shook the world and restrictions and lockdowns came into effect.
The Channel Seven drama resumed filming in May last year, with the network announcing new COVID-19 measures to be brought on board.
“A range of measures will be in place to minimise risk for cast and crew, to be overseen by dedicated safety officers,” a Channel Seven spokesperson said at the time.
“The measures include temperature checks on arrival, increased hygiene practices and rigorous cleaning schedules.
“Scripts will also be reworked to reduce close contact, in constant consultation with the cast and crew to ensure the health and safety of all.”
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