ITV halts 'Coronation Street', 'Emmerdale' production amid coronavirus scare

British broadcaster ITV has suspended production on its popular shows -- "Coronation Street", "Emmerdale", "Lorraine" and "Loose Women" -- due to coronavirus pandemic. "Loose Women" will show repeats, while Lorraine Kelly will join the "Good Morning Britain" studio instead of hosting her own show. "We've been doing our best to carry on filming, whilst adhering to the government's latest health guidelines, to ensure we've episodes of both soaps airing on ITV until at least the early summer.

"However, the health and well-being of the production teams, actors, crew and their families is of paramount importance to us and we now feel that the time has come to stop filming," the company said in a statement to Variety. Many events, shooting schedules, releases and festivals have been called off due to the pandemic. The virus, which originated in China's Wuhan City, has killed 14,641 people with 336,000 cases reported in 173 countries and territories.

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