We’re probably in for a lot more of the same stop-and-go production news that we experienced in the first quarter of the year as a much-anticipated second pandemic wave (if you can even identify an end to the “first” one) begins. This means a some studios will be shutting things down in the coming weeks. A few shows like Netflix’s The Witcher and Apple TV+ Mythic Quest have already had to halt productions amid new coronavirus cases. Per Deadline, CW’s The Flash is already dealing with such a scenario after an unidentified team member tested positive for COVID-19, causing all production to pause “out of an abundance of caution.” (Like we said, a lot of this is going to sound familiar.)
The team member was given an asymptomatic diagnosis via “rigorous testing protocols implemented by The Flash studio Warner Bros. TV.” As contact tracing commences, production has been suspended while the studio reevaluates the current production schedule. All of the affected employee’s close contacts are self-isolating at this time. There is no telling how long it will take for the show to resume filming, as previous examples of shows that have halted over positive tests range from a single day to a full two-week suspension. Like the other Arrowverse shows, The Flash is filmed in Vancouver and had already endured a delay in production due to a backlog at a local lab that was processing COVID results. As of now, no other cast or crew members have come forward with a positive result.