General Hospital has announced that it will be suspending production due to the coronavirus pandemic. In doing so, the ABC soap joins a rapidly growing list of productions that have taken these extraordinary steps to help stop the spread of the virus.
A show rep reveals that the suspension will begin on Monday, March 16, and is scheduled to last through Friday, April 10. The suspension could be extended if it is deemed necessary. As of right now, there will be no change in General Hospital's broadcast schedule.
“We don’t anticipate an interruption in the broadcast of original episodes,” the network representative for the show said in a statement.
General Hospital is the first soap to announce a suspension of production, though it is expected that other soaps will follow. The entertainment site TVLine has compiled a list of all of the programs currently suspending or delaying production.
UPDATE (MARCH 17, 2020): The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless have also now temporarily halted production. You can read more on that here.
UPDATE (MARCH 18, 2020): Days of our Lives will remain dark for the forseeable future. You can read more on that here.
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