“Fox & Friends” separated its three co-hosts on Tuesday, placing them far apart in its cavernous New York studio in an effort to practice “social distancing” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Viewers are used to seeing co-hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade sitting on what the program refers to as “the curvy couch,” but it took the extra precautions the morning after New York closed schools to 1.1 million students. Broadway theaters have also shut down, as have the city’s bars and restaurants to ensure social distancing during the outbreak.
“To be responsible, to show social distancing, all three of us are apart — same studio, plenty of distance,” Kilmeade informed viewers at the top of the show.
“We’re doing exactly the same thing people all across America are trying to do, and that is stay away from each other because you don’t want to get infected and you don’t want to spread infection,” Doocy added
“We have a responsibility to slow down this virus and to think of other people during this time,” Earhardt noted. “And so if you can keep your distance and prevent someone from getting close to you that might be sick, you can save your family, you can save the elderly and help our country as a nation.”
“In all our lives, I can never remember one incident, even 9/11 included, where everyone feels directly affected,” Kilmeade later added. “You don’t look over there and say ‘Wow, that hurricane looks terrible,’ ‘That didn’t hit me’ or ‘Sandy hits us but nobody else.’ This is something that’s hitting every single household.”
President Trump announced new federal guidelines regarding social distancing at a press briefing Monday afternoon. Officials recommended that for the next 15 days Americans avoid gatherings of more than 10 people; abstain from eating in bars, restaurants and food courts; avoid discretionary travel; work from home; and incorporate home schooling if possible.
“We’d much rather be ahead of the curve than behind it,” Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room.
The president also added that the administration isn’t considering a nationwide lockdown, but “certain areas” of the country with large amounts of cases could see such measures.