Eat Bulaga! announced on Monday, March 9, that it will temporarily suspend the admission of viewers who would want to watch the show live.
According to GMA-7 and TAPE Inc.'s noontime show, the decision is a preventive measure because of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines.
Eat Bulaga! holds its show at the APT Studios in Cainta, Rizal.
The full statement of Eat Bulaga! reads: "In view of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines, which has placed the country in a state of public health emergency, the management of Eat Bulaga has decided to temporarily suspend the admission of a live studio audience in the airing of its show, to help prevent the spread of the virus and to ensure the healthy and safety of its talent, staff, crew, and members of its audience.
"Please understand that this decision was made after extensive and careful consideration in order to cooperate with government efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.
"Araw-araw pa rin po kaming maghahatid ng isang libo't isang tuwa sa inyong mga tahanan.
"Ingat po tayong lahat, Dabarkads!"
The suspension of the live audience admission for Eat Bulaga! started on the same day as the announcement, Monday, March 9. Empty seats were seen during the episode, particularly the "Bawal Judgment" segment with Bianca Umali as a guest player.
Here's how the studio looked like without a live audience:
Eat Bulaga! wrote on Twitter about this, "Wala po munang studio audience sa APT pero tuloy pa rin ang paghatid namin ng isang libo't isang tuwa! Sit back and relak lang muna kayo sa inyong mga bahay. Happy Monday!"
