General Hospital fans are not thrilled that the show has decided to halt production. However, that’s what the official word is as of March 16. The ABC network and the people who run the show have decided that there is a need for this show to stop filming for some time. The reason is, as you know, because of the social distancing that the country is facing right now. We summed it up for fans of our other soaps, too, and we will borrow what we said there and apply it to your show, too.
Production is Halted
The statement we are sharing with all of our soap fans is as follows:
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to update the world with many different ideas, concepts, and pieces of advice for each person to follow. These are meant to help minimize risk, keep the elderly and those who have compromised immune systems safe, and hopeful to prevent the mass chaos that would ensue if everyone in the country became ill at the same time and overwhelmed the medical community as a whole.
Part of that responsibility is sharing updated information with the country that includes the suggestion that no group of people gather in any capacity if there are more than 10 people. This means that shows are halting production, teams and shutting down, and the world is basically coming to a stand-still in the most literal sense. It’s scary, but the cast and crew of General Hospital understand that some things are just more important than keeping the country entertained every day when lives are at risk.
What this means for fans of Port Charles drama is that things are changing. The people who work on this show have to go home, and they have to practice social distancing. This means only going out when absolutely necessary. It means going to not gatherings if there are more than 10 people. It means practicing staying home and being with your family and focusing on your work at home if you are able to do so. It means that you favorite Port Charles faces are doing the same thing, and you are not alone in this. It does hurt the staff to stop their production because they know that you need entertainment and mindless drama now more than ever, but this is what is safest and best for their people, their production, and their community.
The Good News
At the moment, there is some good news on the horizon for General Hospital fans. While this production might be halted for the near future, there is a date in mind for when it will get back to work. The official word on the street right now is April 10. This is when the show will begin filming new episodes, when everyone will get to go back to work, and when we will be in a slightly better place in terms of getting back to some kind of normalcy. Right now, however, the show is on hiatus until that point.
The other good news is that ABC is not going to pre-empt any new shows. Actually, since there are no sports being played right now, it seems that there will actually be more new shows since there will not be pre-emptions for March Madness as is typical this time of year. We don’t know how far in advance this show films, though, so we aren’t sure how much you will get to see up to that point. We think that they are several weeks ahead — we are guessing six — which means that you might not have to worry about not seeing new episodes at all during this hiatus.
Right now, the best thing you can do is stay home, stay away from social gatherings, and work from home if you can. Keep your kids happy, learn to focus on the little things, and figure out how to help those who need it if you can. This is a crucial time in that we can do the most help by almost literally doing nothing. Take this time to rest. We probably all need it, so let’s use it, try to stay calm, and try to do our part until the COVID-19 threat is minimized.
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