Today hosts Al Roker and Craig Melvin are temporarily going off-air after a staffer on the show tested positive for the coronavirus.
The news came from NBC News President Noah Oppenheim in an email to employees on Sunday to say that an employee had “mild symptoms” from the virus that causes COVID-19.
The company is working to track down all the people who made contact with the employee, and all members of the third-hour editorial team were told they need to work from home. Melvin and Roker are both hosts of the third hour.
We learned late last night a colleague on the 3rd hour of TODAY tested positive for COVID-19.
Out of an abundance of caution, Craig and Al are taking the morning off while we map that colleague’s close contacts. pic.twitter.com/aVHJpMU1Fj
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 16, 2020
As of Monday morning, there were more than 3,770 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States and 69 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encouraged that all gatherings involving more than 50 people be canceled.
