'The Amazing Race' Stops Production Due to Coronavirus Concerns

(Elizabeth Morris/Cbs)

The Amazing Race has been put on hold due to concerns over the coronavirus.

CBS has temporarily halted production on the 33rd cycle of the globe-trotting reality competition series due to an increase of cases of coronavirus around the world, ET can confirm. The decision to stop filming was made as a "precautionary measure" and CBS has indicated that no one involved with the show has exhibited symptoms or have been exposed to the virus.

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"Due to increased concerns and uncertainty regarding the coronavirus around the world, CBS and the producers of The Amazing Race have taken the precautionary measure of temporarily suspending production on the 33rd season of the series," a network spokesperson said in a statement to ET on Friday.

"All contestants and production staff are in the process of returning home. At this time, no Racers or anyone on the production team travelling with them have contracted the virus, or shown symptoms, and we are not aware of anyone being exposed to it," the statement continued. "Out of an abundance of caution, everyone involved in the show will continue to be monitored when they return home. The health and well-being of the Racers and the production team are our top priorities."

ET has learned that the participating cast on the 33rd season, which had not been previously announced by CBS, had traveled to England and Scotland when production was suspended, and that three episodes had been filmed. A new start date has not been determined for when production can resume. (The 32nd season of The Amazing Race was filmed in late 2018 and has not yet received a premiere date.)

The Amazing Race is hardly the first Hollywood production impacted by the growing coronavirus pandemic, as the total number of cases grows to over 82,000. BTS recently canceled their South Korean tour dates in April, while Green Day announced they were postponing their Asia tour. According to Variety, the China premieres of Mulan and the James Bond film No Time to Die were also recently canceled. Production was halted on Tom Cruise'Mission: Impossible 7 in Italy, where coronavirus cases recently increased 45 percent. 

Elsewhere, several students at Prince William and Kate Middleton's children Prince George and Princess Charlotte's Thomas Battersea school in London were tested for the coronavirus, a spokesperson for the school confirmed Thursday.

Celebrities have been taking precautions amid the coronavirus outbreak, with Kacey Musgraves canceling her planned trip to Italy, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudsonwearing face masks as they boarded their respective flights. According to The New York Times, cases of coronavirus in Europe have been reported in Italy, Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Spain and Switzerland after the initial outbreak in China.

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