CNN anchor Chris Cuomo says he tested positive for coronavirus
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo on Tuesday revealed that he has tested positive for coronavirus. The 49-year-old journalist said he is quarantining in the basement of his home to protect the rest of his family and will continue to work from there.
"Sooooo in these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus," Cuomo said in a statement shared on Twitter. "I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fever, chills and shortness of breath. I just hope I didn't give it to the kids and Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness!"
Shortly after the tweet began to circulate, his older brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed Chris' diagnosis in his daily press briefing.
"Everyone is subject to this virus. It is the great equalizer. I don't care how smart, how rich, how powerful you think you are. I don't care how young, how old. This virus is the great equalizer," Governor Cuomo said. "My brother Chris is positive for coronavirus. Found out this morning. Now, he is going to be fine. He is young, in good shape, strong – not as strong as he thinks – but he will be fine."
"But there's a lesson in this," he continued. "He's an essential worker – remember, the press – so he's been out there. If you go out there, the chance that you get infected is very high."
The governor then got personal, speaking to his brother's true nature and how it's different from what the American public sees on TV.
"You don't really know Chris. You know, you see Chris. He has a show," he said. "But you just see one dimension, right? You see a person in his job. And in his job, he's combative and he's argumentative and he's pushing people. But that's his job. That's really not who he is. He's a really sweet, beautiful guy. And he's my best friend. My father was always working, so it was always just me and Chris."
Governor Cuomo then turned the conversation to their mother and how she recently became a point of contention between him and his brother.
"He's smart. He's social distancing, yes, but you wind up exposing yourself. People wind up exposing you and then they find out they're positive a couple of days later, and I had a situation with Christopher two weeks ago," he said.
"My mother was at his house. And I said, 'That is a mistake.' Now, my mother is in a different situation. She's older and she's healthy, but I said you can't have Mom at the house. And he said, 'No no no, Mom is lonely. She wants to be at the house. I feel bad, she's cooped up in the apartment.' I said, 'Yeah, I feel bad she's cooped up in the apartment too, but you bring her to your house, you expose her to a lot of things... Love sometimes needs to be a little smarter than reactive."
Cuomo said the altercation served as his inspiration for New York's Matilda's Law to protect senior citizens, which he named after his mother.
