This Is Why RHOA Had To Shut Down Production

The Real Housewives of Atlanta is set to air a new season on Bravo starting December 6, but for now, production is shut down for two weeks, according to Page Six. So, did the fighting among the castmates get too out of hand — as is not uncommon on any Real Housewives series? No, it turns out the reason for the hiatus is that a member of the show's production team has tested positive for COVID-19. This news is somewhat surprising given the strict safety protocol being followed by both cast and crew.

"Kudos to Bravo," cast member Cynthia Bailey recently told the outlet. "Like they figured it out. It will be a very different show this time because we do follow all the COVID-19 rules and all that stuff. So we get tested every Monday and we do the temperature checks." The newly-married star also said, "We can't have ... that many production people in the house now. A lot of times ... like three people can come in and five people sit down in their cars directing the scenes and stuff. It's so crazy. So we're at home a lot. We're at home a lot more."

Unfortunately, these precautions were not enough to guarantee everyone's safety.

A source further explained to People that given the pandemic, production of the RHOA has to be suspended: "The set follows rigorous COVID-19 safety protocols including contract tracing. Out of an abundance of caution, production is shutting down for two weeks." The outlet notes this isn't the first iteration of the Housewives franchise to pause production since filming resumed in a COVID-19 world — The Real Housewives of New York City also had a crew member test positive.

At time of writing, no cast member had commented via social media about the shutdown. But here's hoping Bailey and her fellow Atlanta housewives — Drew Sidora, LaToya Ali, Kenya Moore, Kandi Burruss, Porsha Williams, Marlo Hampton, and Tanya Sam — stay safe and healthy. We look forward to seeing you ladies on TV in a few short weeks!