Soap opera update includes new tweaks going forth

By now you have probably heard the the four remaining daytime drama programs have been cleared by the California governor to resume taping on June 12. Days of Our Lives on NBC, had enough episodes to run through August and never stopped taping. The date of June 12 would however affect The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful on CBS, and General Hospital on ABC. Keep in mind this is the date the governor has set forth and it does not inedicate that this is indeed when things will be up and rolling. Here is a recap of what information has been provided thus far.

1. Social distancing will be enforced.

2. No hand holding, hugging, or giving a high five.

3. Actors over 65 may not be allowed on the set

4. Crew members must wear masks

5. Cast must keep hand sanitizer on them at all times.

6. Digital technology might be used to give the impression that actors are closer together in scenes. (It is not known at this time if soap opera's have the budget to put this in place).

7. A COVID-19 health official must be on hand to monitor the situation.

According to Soap Central, there have now been additional tweaks to what your favorite soap stars must endure in order to get new episodes of their programs on the air. Last week, the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Task Force, with members including SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild, IATSE, the Teamsters and AMTPT-- submitted a 22-page document to US governors, with recommended protocols that would allow soap opera production to resume while at the same time minimizing the risk of spreading the corornavirus. In addition to what has already been revealed it is being proposed that actors work viewer days and shorter hours each day.

Another suggestions is that actors who have multiple scenes together would film them all at once, out of sequence. This would minimize travel and keep interactions between fewer cast members. This practice has already been implemented on several of the soaps prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. When the pandemic first arrived, it was said that it would not be added to the scripts of the daytime drama shows. Now network executives are revisiting this idea because it would make it easier to have social distancing in place during scenes. It will be interesting to see if these changes cause ratings to implode or plummet.

Two co-stars from The Bold and the Beautiful, Jacqueline MacInnes Woods, and Scott Clifton, (Steffy and Liam) believe it's not possible to ignore COVID-19 moving forward.The actors said they had been filming two weeks on and one week off and are not sure what the new schedule will be. Fans of the four remaining daytime drama programs should be on the lookout for breaking news, which seems to come forth on a daily basis. Speaking of breaking news, there is one change that viewers would love to see on daytime but probably never will.

Local fans hate when their favorite soap is interrupted with news that could wait until evening. In Virginia, Governor Ralph Northam has been preempting General Hospital for about six weeks to bring Coronavirus updates. In the digital age people can always look on the Internet for information they desire and would prefer their daytime drama's be left alone. Interrupting soaps has been going on for decades but where once it was a necessity, now things are different. Be on the lookout for spoiler alerts and new information related to when your favorite shows will begin taping new episodes. It may not necessarily be on June 12 because the COVID-19 health professionals must first be in place. We are closer now than ever, so hang in there it will not be long.