Clare Crawley's 'Bachelorette' Season Has Stopped Filming Due To Coronavirus

Clare Crawley's fifth shot at love will have to wait. The Bachelorette 2020 season has been delayed due to coronavirus, it was announced on Friday, March 13. Production for Season 16 has been stopped and delayed indefinitely. The announcement came from Warner Bros. Television, which produces the Bachelor franchise, just days after Chris Harrison revealed the coronavirus precautions they were taking on the Bachelorette set.

Clare’s new season was slated to begin filming on Friday at the Bachelor Mansion. In a statement, a Warner Bros. Television Group spokesperson said, per Entertainment Weekly, “With the rapidly changing events related to COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution, Warner Bros. Television Group is halting production on some of our 70+ series and pilots currently filming or about to begin. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on any of our productions, but the health and safety of our employees, casts and crews remains our top priority.”

The statement continued, “During this time, we will continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control as well as local officials and public health professionals in each city where our productions are based.” Clare’s season was set to premiere on Monday, May 18.

On Twitter on Friday, Robert Mills, ABC’s Senior Vice President of Alternative Series, Specials & Late-Night Programming, asked everyone to stay safe, writing, “We need to be safe and sane, #Bachelornation, but will keep working 24/7 to get back on track as soon as we can!!”

The news comes after Harrison detailed the precautions the production team has taken on set to minimize risk of the virus. For starters, traveling to other locations for extravagant dates was halted. “We're going to stay obviously around the United States, and closer to home when we go on set,” he told Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday, March 11. “There are massive amounts of hand-washing stations. We are having a part of a trailer where we will have a doctor. You can be checked out. So, there's a ton of precautions being taken."

If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all Bustle’s coverage of coronavirus here.