NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” is indefinitely halting production as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the television network confirmed Tuesday.
“SNL” will not produce or broadcast any new episodes of the weekly sketch comedy show until further notice, NBC confirmed to The Washington Times.
Describing the decision to suspend production a precautionary measure, NBC said the network will monitor the outbreak closely and make decisions about future programming on an ongoing basis as new information becomes available.
Currently in the show’s 45th season, “SNL” last aired on March 7 and had been previously scheduled to return from hiatus on March 28.
Several other television programs traditionally filmed in-front of live studio audiences have similarly suspended or scaled back production as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision to halt production of “SNL” was confirmed after President Trump and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that Americans should avoid groups of 10 or more in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19, the infectious respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus first discovered in December in Wuhan, China.
At least 3,487 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the U.S. as of Monday, including 68 infections that resulted in death, according to the CDC. Statistics maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University have put the number of U.S. cases of COVID-19 at more than 4,000.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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