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ABC/Randy Holmes

ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) — The Ellen DeGeneres Show will resume production Monday, after pausing its scheduled return to production this week because of the surge in coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County.  

The chat show will go back to the studio with a skeleton staff and crew, Warner Bros., the studio that produces it, said in a statement obtained by Variety. The goal is to minimize the number of employees that will be needed to work in person at the show’s offices at any given time. 

The studio added that all of the show’s crew members will be paid during the modified production schedule. 

Ellen’s show was one of many that paused over the post-holiday surge of cases in the county; health officials there implored studios to temporarily halt shooting if possible, even though they were technically exempt from strict lockdown orders in Los Angeles. 

As of this week, California has recorded more than 2.5 million people who tested positive for coronavirus and some 28,045 deaths.

By George Costantino and Stephen Iervolino
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