Big Brother cast updated after being kept in the dark

In what was sure to have been a nasty surprise, Channel 7’s Big Brother housemates have been updated on the coronavirus pandemic after being isolated during filming for several weeks.

The new housemates are currently filming in Sydney’s North and are understood to have entered the house three weeks ago, before the virus was declared a pandemic on March 11 and cases in Australia ramped up.

With limited access to the internet or any communications devices, the housemates were believed to have been caught in an information bubble, unaware of the increasingly sombre news spreading across the globe.

Now Channel 7 has confirmed the cast has been updated on the situation, though production is ongoing.

In a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle, Channel 7’s production company Endemol Shine explained the production was adhering to government guidelines.

“Endemol Shine Australia takes the health and safety of our crew and contestants extremely seriously,” they wrote.

“We are working in line with current guidelines and production on Big Brother is continuing.”

They also confirmed the housemates’ families had been contacted and were being kept up to date on the situation.

“Housemates have been brought across the current situation and we are in constant contact with the families to keep all involved up to date,” they wrote.

It’s unclear if the housemates have been allowed extra direct communication with family. Yahoo Lifestyle has contacted Channel 7 for comment.

The already-isolated cast may be at something of an advantage, as coronavirus measures continue to ramp up across the country.

Coronavirus sparks shutdowns globally

Hundreds of events across the nation and internationally have been canned in a bid to limit person to person contact.

This morning it was announced the MET Gala would be postponed, Las Vegas strip casinos have closed their doors and both Vivid Sydney and the Easter Show have been cancelled.

Celebrities are also joining thew throngs of people testing positive to the illness, with Idris Elba this morning confirming he has been infected, and Aussies Thelma Plum and Richard Wilkinson both currently recovering.

In some happier news, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have been discharged from hospital after testing positive on the Gold Coast, although Aussie fans may look at the pair differently after a Vegemite selfie posted by the Oscar-winner flouted all social norms and conventions surrounding the fickle spread, leaving many horrified.

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