‘Game of Thrones‘ came to an end in 2019 after eight successful seasons. The series captivated viewers and catapulted its cast to stardom. Following the success, the makers decided to make a prequel series, House of the Dragon, the shooting of which has been temporarily suspended due to the surge in COVID cases in the United Kingdom.

“As part of the rigorous testing implemented for all production employees, a Zone A production member on House of the Dragon tested positive for COVID-19. In compliance with industry guidelines, the production member is in isolation, and close contacts will be required to quarantine,” HBO said in a statement to PEOPLE.

The prequel is slated to premiere next year and stars Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, and Fabien Frankel, among others. 

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Emily Carey, who will be playing the younger version of Alicent Hightower, in the prequel, expressed her excitement to be a part of the show. 

“My brain is fried. It’s just insane. I auditioned. It was a fairly long audition process and I didn’t know what the project was or the character was until I got it. I can’t answer any questions or who I’ll be in scenes with but stay tuned for more and I love you,” she said on Instagram Live.

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Meanwhile, UK is witnessing a rise in COVID cases. Over 51,000 people tested positive in England on Friday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak had to go into self-isolation following contact with health secretary Sajid Javid, who tested positive. 

Amid the surge, the filming of Netflix’s Bridgerton season two was also shut down indefinitely after an unidentified person tested positive for the virus. Season 1 of the show was Netflix’s biggest ever series after it was watched by a record 82 million households around the world.