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ITV has confirmed that Good Morning Britain will go on hiatus over the Christmas period as a result of the rapid increase in COVID rates.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the show told RadioTimes.com<\/a>: \u201cDue to the pandemic we have introduced some changes from today to protect our team both on and off-screen.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement continues: \u201cGMB was due to be on air from Wednesday 29th \u2013 Friday 31st December 2021 but due to the pandemic and to protect our teams, we have decided to give them an extended break. GMB will not broadcast next week, but will be back on air on Tuesday 4th January 2022.\u201d<\/p> \u00a0<\/p>\n The news comes as COVID cases in the UK continue to mount in the run-up to Christmas, with GMB presenter Sean Fletcher having announced yesterday (Sunday 19th December) that he had tested positive for the virus.<\/p>\n It is the first time since the start of the pandemic that previously planned episodes of the show have been axed \u2013 with the show having continued throughout 2020 and 2021, albeit with some alterations.<\/p>\n Presenter Charlotte Hawkins had earlier explained during Monday\u2019s broadcast that the show was using less staff than usual in a bid to curtail the spread of the Omicron variant.<\/p>\n Despite the last-minute changes to the schedule, it is understood that a Christmas Day special will still air as planned from 7am until 9am, while the show is expected to return to its usual broadcast pattern in the New Year.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s\u00a0Radio Times Christmas double issue<\/a>\u00a0is on sale now, featuring two weeks of TV, film and radio listings, reviews, features and interviews with the stars.<\/b><\/p>\n