Producers of Global‘s “Big Brother Canada” are taking some extra precautions on the show during the coronavirus pandemic, and announced some additional measures.
In an announcement shared on Sunday, Insight Productions — which produces the series — revealed the steps being taken to protect the show’s crew and the houseguests.
“Insight is taking every precaution to keep our crew and houseguests safe on ‘Big Brother Canada’ while delivering programming to audiences across the country when they need it most,” reads Insight’s statement.
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“The safety of the crew and houseguests is paramount to Insight and as such we are taking every precaution to ensure a healthy set and workplace,” the statement continues.
In addition, Insight reveals that a medical professional has verified none of the houseguests are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19; not surprising, given that most Canadians have only been self-isolating for a matter of days, while the “Big Brother Canada” houseguests have been in isolation since the show premiered on March 5.
“Insight and Corus continue to aggressively monitor the production and are constantly evaluating our practices and adjusting if necessary,” the statement adds, listing such efforts as “placing sanitizers at every entrance; daily professional cleaning and disinfection of all edit suites, control rooms, studio spaces, and offices; elimination of the live audience; adjusting the creative so that more staff can work from home, etc.”
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In addition, onsite crew members are now checked for symptoms on a daily basis before entering the studio.
“We are continuing to keep our staff and houseguests updated on a regular basis as the situation evolves,” the statement concludes.
On March 16, Insight announced it was eliminating the live studio audience on eviction nights. “Global and Insight Productions will continue to broadcast and produce Big Brother Canada as scheduled until further notice. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will advise on any changes to the production or broadcast schedules,” read the original statement.
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Meanwhile, “Big Brother Canada” isn’t the only international production of the “Big Brother” franchise to be affected by the pandemic.
According to a report from TV Black Box, production on “Big Brother Australia” has shut down temporarily until a crew member can be tested for COVID-19. That crew member reportedly lives with someone who tested positive for the virus; as a result, most of the show’s crew were sent home and asked to self-isolate until the test results come through within the next 48 hours.
“Big Brother Canada” airs Wednesdays at 7 p.m. ET/PT, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.
