The Amazing Race sends contestants home amid coronavirus fears

CBS says no contestants have contracted the virus or shown symptoms but it is acting ‘out of an abundance of caution’

(AFP via Getty Images)

Filming of globe-trotting reality series “The Amazing Race” has been shut down amid coronavirus fears.

Filming of the 33^rd season of the CBS series has been stopped in its tracks as a precaution as more cases of the outbreak are diagnosed outside of mainland China.

CBS said in a statement on Friday that it had temporarily suspended production and was sending its contestants 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," a network spokesperson said in a statement.

"Out of an abundance of caution, everyone involved in the show will continue to be monitored when they return home."

The global competition series sees teams compete in a race against each other at different locations around the world.

No new start date has been confirmed.

The move comes as a number of events have been cancelled in the wake of fear of a global pandemic, including the Chinese premiere of the newest James Bond film, according to Variety.

Phil Keoghan poses with his Outstanding Reality-Competition Program award for the CBS show (REUTERS)

Organisers of The Amazing Race will decide next week on whether the ceremonial torch relay will occur.

Concerts are also being cancelled across Asia, with high profile music acts including Green Day, Stormzy and BTS announcing the cancellation of tour dates.

Attractions including Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan have also announced closures.

Switzerland joined countries banning big events, forcing cancellations of next week's Geneva international car show and all of the weekend's football matches in the Swiss league.

Nearly 60 nations have reported cases of coronavirus, including China where the current outbreak emerged. China has the majority of confirmed cases and has reported more than 2,700 deaths.

Additional reporting Associated Press and Reuters