Days later on 22 March 2020, production of the show was shut down after a crew member had been exposed to a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 pending test results to confirm whether they had contracted the virus. During this time, all camera operators were removed from the house and housemates were filmed exclusively via the rigged cameras which were not tracking movement, while also being allowed to phone home to speak directly with loved ones. On 23 March 2020, the test of the crew member came back negative and it was announced that production would resume the following day. The events of this shutdown were depicted on Episode 13 of the season.
