Covid 19 coronavirus: Shortland Street looking at options to keep production under Level 4

South Pacific Pictures told the Herald it has created a safe working environment. Photo / supplied

Good news for Shortland Street lovers ...

The show will be exploring options for continuing production even if alert level 4 is implemented.

South Pacific Pictures chief executive Kelly Martin told the Herald that airing the show provides a constant comfort for viewers amid the Covid-19 gloom.

"It's something you can enjoy and feel comfortable in without feeling the pressure of everything that's going on. It's a nice little escape."

In the last level 4 lockdown episode frequency was dropped from five per week to just three due to the suspension in filming.

Martin said stopping the show again would also put people's livelihoods at risk.

Filming is still occurring under alert level 3, and last time the restrictions were in place writers were forced to come up with ways for the characters to show love without any form of PDA.

The Government's Covid-19 website states businesses cannot offer services that involve close personal contact, unless it is an essential service, emergency or critical situation.

Workplaces are able to open if workers can't work from home and the workplace can operate safely without customers on site.

Cast members have been allocated individual dressing rooms and are applying their own makeup with guidance from socially distant makeup artists.

"There will be strict distancing in studio and less crew in studio than usual."

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Martin said the health and safety of cast and crew was a top priority and she's confident they can operate safely.

"Last time Worksafe were extremely complimentary about everything we had put in place, they were really comfortable that we were taking all the criteria seriously and that we were absolutely within the guidelines."

She said if they move into alert level 4 and can't shoot, they will have to reduce the number of episodes going out each week.

"Because we're a closed environment and we're a controlled environment I will be exploring whether there's any way at all that we can keep doing what we're doing."

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