Fox News anchors are quarantining after coronavirus
exposure on debate flight
By
Oct. 26, 2020 at 9:08 a.m. CDT
Eight
days out from a presidential election, the president of Fox News and key
members of the network’s election team have been told to quarantine after they
were exposed to someone who tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Until they
test negative for the virus three times in a row, the anchors will be
broadcasting their shows from home, according to two people with knowledge of
the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private
health matters.
The
infected person was on a flight chartered to transport Fox employees returning
to New York from the presidential debate in Nashville. Those on the flight
included Jay Wallace, the network president; Bret Baier, the chief political
anchor; Martha MacCallum, anchor of Fox’s nightly news show “The Story”; as
well as two other members of the network’s election team, Juan Williams and
Dana Perino, who are co-hosts of “The Five.”
Everyone
aboard the flight tested negative in rapid tests conducted by both Fox News and
the Commission on Presidential Debates prior to leaving New York. Upon return,
those on the flight were again tested immediately after.
Fox
News has been regularly testing its employees as some have returned to working
on set. A Fox News spokesperson declined to comment, citing privacy concerns of
its employees. The news of the positive test result and subsequent orders to
quarantine were first reported by the New York Times.
Some of
the anchors have already received the results of their first PCR tests, which
were negative. It is unclear if there was more than one person who initially
tested positive on the flight. But everyone aboard the flight is being tested
repeatedly to determine if they need to continue quarantining.
The
network engaged in contact tracing immediately after they learned of the
positive test result Sunday night.
Behind
the scenes, Fox News has shown dedication to precautionary measures during the
pandemic, including face masks, social distancing, and regular testing
protocols.
But
that attitude has not always been reflected on the air. In February and March,
in the early days of the pandemic, key primetime hosts such as Sean Hannity and
Laura Ingraham showed fierce loyalty to President Trump and positioned the
virus as a tool for the Democrats and the media to attack him.
