Anderson Cooper hosted his CNN program from home Friday “out of an abundance of caution” after learning a staffer on the show may have contracted COVID-19.
“Tens of millions more Americans saw their world shrink to four walls, or the walls of their homes, myself included,” Mr. Cooper said at the start of his show.
“Someone on my team believes they may be positive for the coronavirus, and so out of an abundance of caution I’m going to be broadcasting tonight from my house in New York City.”
The host of “Anderson Cooper 360” added that he was not personally experiencing any signs of illness associated with COVID-19, the infectious respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
“I don’t have any symptoms, I feel fine. It’s just an abundance of caution to keep everybody around me, and everybody on our staff is going to be staying out of the office for a while,” stressed Mr. Cooper.
Mr. Cooper, 52, was not the only cable news personality affected by the outbreak either.
Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs was absent from his show Friday after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 and their colleagues were accordingly told to self-quarantine.
Nationwide, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has confirmed more than 15,000 cases of COVID-19 since the first domestic infection was reported on January 20.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the U.S. has spiked in recent days, causing the governors of California, Connecticut, Illinois and New York to ask residents to stay at home. President Trump said Friday that he is not currently considering a nationwide lockdown.
