Lou Dobbs Self-Quarantines After Team Member Tests Positive for Coronavirus: 'He Has No Symptoms'
Lou Dobbs is in self-quarantine after a member of his team tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to an announcement made on his show Friday.
The Fox Business network anchor, 74, was absent from Friday’s broadcast of Lou Dobbs Tonight and his seat was filled by David Asman, who broke the news of Dobbs’ self-isolation to viewers at the top of the show.
“Lou is in self-quarantine tonight. We just learned one of his team members has tested positive for COVID-19. We fully support that employee 100 percent, who we all wish a speedy recovery,” Asman said. “Lou feels well. He has no symptoms, but out of an abundance of caution, he and his team are taking the necessary precautions.”
A Fox Business spokesperson also confirmed to PEOPLE that Dobbs is in self-quarantine.
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Dobbs and all of the unidentified employee’s coworkers have been directed to remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, according to Forbes.
As of Friday morning, there have been 15,650 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and 202 people have died from coronavirus-related illness in the nation. With West Virginia reporting their first case on Tuesday evening, the high contagious reparatory virus has now spread to all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
The first cases of the mysterious respiratory illness began in Wuhan, China in late December. Since then, the virus has spread worldwide, leading the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency, the first since the zika epidemic in 2016.
At first, this coronavirus was contained to China, but Wuhan is a major transportation hub with hundreds of flights leaving and landing from the city of 11 million each day. Soon, as people flew from the area to different countries, the coronavirus reached more countries, including the U.S.
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The first U.S. case was found in Everett, Washington, just outside of Seattle, in a man who had recently returned from Wuhan. The number of cases grew slowly from there and the virus began to spread more rapidly in communities across the nation.
The coronavirus has been found especially dangerous for the elderly, infants and people who are immunocompromised or living with pre-existing conditions.
Many TV and movie productions have shut down over coronavirus concerns, while some talk shows have opted for their anchors to host remotely per protocol from health officials to practice social distancing to limit the spread of the virus.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes ,PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.