“The View” co-host Joy Behar is taking safety precautions and stepping away from the show amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The 77-year-old host is citing her concerns about the virus, noting her age group faces a higher risk of contracting the virus. Her daughter is also concerned about her health despite the show announcing plans to record without a live studio audience for the time being.
“I’m in a higher risk group because of my age, but I’m perfectly healthy,” Behar says on the show, according to Variety. “I don’t look my age, but I’m actually up there. The number makes me dizzy.”
Behar will be out for the next week. After that point, she will decide when she will return.
Behar’s decision follows the ladies’ discussion about Trump’s Oval Office speech. On Thursday, the ladies shared their take on the newly imposed travel ban. They noted what they perceived to be flaws in Trump’s plan.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg used her business partner’s recent return from Italy as an example of how lax counter-coronavirus protocols are in the United States despite Trump saying the situation is being handled accordingly.
Just days ago, he returned from Italy where he had been monitored and checked due to the vast outbreak. However, when he returned to the United States, nothing was done after he exited the plane.
The ladies also pointed out how the White House backpedaled after Trump stated that the ban included cargo.
Check out the ladies’ discussion below:
DID TRUMP’S SPEECH REASSURE AMERICANS? The co-hosts react to the president's address to the nation last night on U.S. response to coronavirus outbreak which included travel from Europe to be restricted. https://t.co/LiY7M4jdZl pic.twitter.com/kafdmZ9HTn
— The View (@TheView) March 12, 2020
Despite growing concerns about the spread of the virus, Trump insists the country is well prepared.
“The virus will not have a chance against us,” Trump previously said. “No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the United States.”
Behar’s announcement will air on Friday’s episode of “The View.”