After a four-week hiatus, Home and Away is back on the air.
Lynne McGranger, who has portrayed Irene Roberts on the Australian serial since 1993, has spoken about how production has resumed after the cast and crew were forced to prolong a scheduled break owing to the coronavirus epidemic.
‘When we originally went into lockdown about a month ago, we had a planned two-week production break away, so we were always going to take that two weeks off,’ she revealed via a video connection on ITV’s This Morning.
‘However, things grew worse while we were on that production break, and we were due to return to work a week ago when we got the email saying, ‘We’re not coming back to work.’
‘As a result, we were given an extra two weeks.’ Now, I believe they’ve moved heaven and earth – and they’re definitely COVID-free.
‘Every second day at the studio, we’re tested. Everyone has to wear masks the entire time, except when they roll up.’
‘When they roll up, they have to take off their masks, and we go about our business, and then we put our masks back on.’ They certainly have permission to do so.”
Meanwhile, despite the tight precautions in place, the 68-year-old actress claimed the situation in Australia is ‘not very good at the present, and explained why their COVID-19 numbers may appear less alarming than those in the UK.
‘If you compare your statistics to our numbers, I know a lot of my English friends were like, “Oh really, get a life!” she said.
‘However, we do not have a large population.’ So, you could get a couple of thousand a day, we might have a few of hundred a day… the majority of us are now on lockdown.’
Lynne acknowledged that the country’s lockdown limitations are ‘quite tight,’ and she advised people to’stay at home.’
‘They’re quite rigors,’ she added. We had to call in the army, which I shouldn’t be laughing about. However, the cops were attempting to keep people at home – in other words, to stay the heck at home.
‘If you don’t have to go to a doctor’s appointment, or go for an hour walk, or go buy your vegetables and meat,’ ‘Just remain at home.’
