Fox News confirmed a third and fourth case of coronavirus among New York-based Fox News Media employees Saturday, six days after many staffers began working from home.
The first case, a Fox Business Network staffer, was confirmed Friday with a second Fox Business confirmation coming earlier Saturday, followed shortly thereafter by the third and fourth cases, who are with Fox News.
An internal memo from Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and President & Executive Editor Jay Wallace informed staffers on which floors the two individuals with the newly-confirmed diagnoses work. One was last in the offices March 6, while the other was most recently in office on Monday. Employees who worked with the two affected individuals have been advised to quarantine.
“We are continuing to take every necessary precaution and to follow every protocol which includes deep cleaning all surfaces these employees were in contact with, in addition to the daily sanitizing and disinfecting that has been performed multiple times a day throughout all areas of the building,” said the memo.
The note continued, “We are fully supporting these employees and wishing them a speedy recovery. Again, we have been prepared for outcomes such as these and everything necessary has been activated to manage this situation.”
Further memos to staff have outlined work-from-home guidelines, tips on self-quarantining, and links to educational sites like those for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local governments’ departments of health. Fox News Media has also canceled its upcoming upfront and removed in-studio audiences for all applicable shows.
Fox News shows have been implementing social distancing all week, with hosts sitting six feet apart and guests video-calling in rather than appearing in-studio. Fox Business Network confirmed Friday a plan to scale back its programming for two hours per day amid the escalating coronavirus crisis.