After 'Eat Bulaga,' ABS-CBN suspends live audience due to COVID-19
MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN announced on Tuesday that it will temporarily ban live studio audiences on some of its shows as a preventive measure against the onslaught of novel coronavirus disease or COVID-19.
According to the TV network's statement, "ABS-CBN has decided to temporarily stop admitting studio audience to its shows starting today (10 March 2020), following the government’s declaration of a state of public health emergency."
Among the network's programs that has halted accepting live audiences include “It’s Showtime,” “ASAP Natin ‘To,” “Magandang Buhay,” “Banana Sundae” and “I Can See Your Voice.”
According to ABS-CBN, they issued the temporary ban since "the safety and well-being of our studio audience, artists, crew, and production teams are of utmost importance to us and we are taking this option for their protection. We feel that it is our shared responsibility to help in preventing the spread of the COVID-19."
The network thanked its audience for "the support, understanding, and patronage of our shows" despite the ban.
On Monday, GMA noontime show "Eat Bulaga" announced that it is temporarily closing doors to live studio audiences following confirmed a COVID-9 case in Quezon City, home of the show's station GMA, and two cases in Cainta, Rizal, where the show's studios are.
On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of public health emergency to reduce the spread of the respiratory illness that has repotedly afflicted over 110,000 people in more than 100 territories, with 24 confirmed cases in the Philippines as of Monday night.
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