Production on NBC’s hit police procedural drama Chicago P.D. has been paused amid a string of positive COVID-19 tests on the set. Members of the cast and crew recently resumed production after the holiday break. However, since returning to set, there has been “a couple of dozen” positive tests on the set with cases in Zone A, which includes the cast and those who directly interact with them.
The positive tests were detected through the network’s extensive testing protocols, according to Deadline, which was first to report the production pause. Although production initially continued with replacement crew members and adjusted filming schedule, production was officially suspended on Wednesday, Jan. 12. The halt in production is set to last “a few days,” and no exact date for filming to resume has yet been confirmed
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This marks just the latest production pause to hit not only the entertainment industry as a whole, but also the One Chicago franchise. Earlier in January, production was suspended on Chicago Fire after several cast and crew members tested positive for COVID-19. A Jan. 5 report from Variety, citing a source close to production, claimed that “operations ceased for the moment ‘out of an abundance of caution.’” Similar to Chicago P.D., the halt in production on Chicago Fire came just after the cast and crew returned to work following a scheduled holiday break. Variety reported, “the production will take immediate action by employing contact tracing as per COVID-19 production guidelines implemented by the state, county and NBCUniversal. Reports indicate that the series plans on resuming production next week. However, the situation remains uncertain, dependent on if the production can return to work safely.”
Elsewhere at NBC, late night host Seth Meyers canceled a number of shows after he tested positive for the virus, in a statement sharing, “The bad news is, I tested positive for COVID (thanks, 2022!) The good news is, I feel fine (thanks vaccines and booster!) We are canceling the rest of the shows this week.” Jimmy Fallon also revealed that “on the first day of our holiday break I tested positive for Covid. I was vaccinated and boostered which made me lucky enough to only have mild symptoms.” More recently, the Today show has been hit with positive COVID-19 cases, with both Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie testing positive. The string of positive test results comes amid the current surge in cases sweeping the nation as a result of the omicron variant, with the U.S. hitting record highs for new daily case counts.
