Big Brother Australia’s big clean-up: Emergency teams scrub production units with disinfectant as crew member’s COVID-19 results are in
Channel Seven is taking no chances with its big-budget reboot of Big Brother.
After production was shut down for two days amid fears a crew member had been exposed to COVID-19, an emergency cleaning team was drafted in on Monday.
The cleaning team spent the day driving around the compound in Manly, Sydney, scrubbing each production unit with disinfectant.
Chaos: An emergency cleaning crew were drafted into the Big Brother work site in Sydney on Monday after production was shut down for two days amid fears a crew member had COVID-19
The cleaning crew wore latex gloves to protect themselves.
Meanwhile, security guards were positioned around the compound to make sure nobody was allowed entry.
Just a handful of staff remained on site to ensure the ‘hot head cameras’ inside the house continued recording during the two-day shutdown.
Taking no chances: The cleaning crew spent the day driving around the compound while scrubbing each production unit with disinfectant as the crew self-isolated at home
Check point: Security guards were positioned around the compound, ensuring nobody gained entry to the site and potentially exposed the housemates to coronavirus
Production for the show is set to return to normal on Tuesday, after the crew member feared to have COVID-19 tested negatively to the virus on Monday.
While waiting for the results, the majority of the crew were sent home to self-isolate.
If the crew member had tested positively, it would likely have resulted in the entire production being pulled for two weeks – with everybody forced to self-isolate.
Hard at work: Just a handful of staff remained on the site to ensure the ‘hot head cameras’ fixed inside the house continued recording during the shut down. Pictured: Two staffers on set
Crisis averted: Production for the show is set to return to normal on Tuesday, after the crew member feared to have COVID-19 tested negatively to the virus on Monday
A spokesperson for production company Endemol Shine Australia confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the show will resume as normal on Tuesday morning.
They said: ‘The test result for our Big Brother crew member believed to be exposed to COVID-19 has come back negative. We will resume filming Big Brother tomorrow and will continue to work within all Federal and State guidelines.’
Housemates are aware of the coronavirus pandemic, and were informed by a producer earlier this month – but their reactions were not filmed.
Sonia Kruger is set to host the upcoming reboot when it airs on Seven this year.
Coming soon: Sonia Kruger (pictured) is set to host the reboot when it airs on Seven this year