Fox News president and anchors in quarantine after possible COVID-19 exposure: report

On Monday, The New York Timesreported that several major Fox News officials and personalities were potentially exposed to coronavirus and have entered quarantine.

"The infected person was on a charter flight to New York from Nashville with a group of network executives, personalities and other staff members who attended the presidential debate on Thursday, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal network matters," said the report. "Everyone on board the plane has been told to get tested and quarantine. It was unclear whether more than one person had tested positive."

Among those potentially exposed are Jay Wallace, the president of the network; anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum; and "The Five" co-hosts Dana Perino and Juan Williams. The anchors will broadcast from their own homes until further notice.

"Network personnel have been serious about taking precautionary measures like wearing masks and avoiding proximity to one another, both in the studios and on the road for major events like the debates, network employees said. And Fox staff members on the ground in Nashville were regularly tested by the network and the Commission on Presidential Debates," said the report. "But on the air, Fox has not always treated the coronavirus like the serious and potentially fatal illness that it is. In February and March, as the virus took hold in the United States, anchors and commentators like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham repeatedly echoed Mr. Trump’s claims that the mainstream news media and Democrats were exaggerating the issue to harm him politically."

A network representative would not confirm any details of the exposure, citing the need to keep private health information confidential.