Coronation Street viewers were in stitches as they tuned into the much-loved soap on Monday night.
During the episode scenes showed Ken Barlow (Bill Roache) and Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) attending a painting workshop - and fans found a moment of light relief amid the coronavirus pandemic when they spotted that the two characters were dressed in hazmat suits.
The characters donned the bright blue overall outfits to protect their clothing from paint but TV viewers saw the funny side of the ensembles the UK navigates an uncertain time during the pandemic.
One joked on Twitter: "Norris and Ken are half dressed to battle the #coronavirus #corrie."
Another fan grateful for a moment of humour posted a snap of the pair and penned: "Weatherfield Coronavirus Precautions. #Corrie."
Other amused watchers added: " #Corrie has got this #coronavirus sorted..." and "Ken and Norris are dressed for coronavirus #Corrie."
Ken and Norris' costumes were a complete coincidence as the ITV soap is filmed around six-weeks in advance.
Since the outbreak of covid-19 protective clothing such as hazmat suits, face masks and gloves are in high-demand as people try to protect themselves from picking up the virus.
On Sunday, Coronation Street and Emmerdale bosses confirmed that they are axing filming of the soaps amid the coronavirus outbreak.
From Monday the popular ITV soaps will no longer continue to be made due to the TV channel endeavouring to adhere to guidelines surrounding the deadly bug.
A statement from an ITV spokesperson explained: “ITV has sadly taken the decision to suspend production of the soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale with effect from Monday 23 March.
"We’ve been doing our best to carry on filming, whilst adhering to the Government’s latest health guidelines, to ensure we’ve episodes of both soaps airing on ITV until at least the early summer.
"However, the health and well-being of the production teams, actors, crew and their families is of paramount importance to us and we now feel that the time has come to stop filming.
"We’d like to thank our viewers for their support and hope they continue to enjoy both soaps in the coming months."
On Corrie's official Twitter account, they added: "We’ll still be on air next week as normal, apart from Friday. From 30th onwards we’ll be on three times a week."
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