“The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg is so adamant about “responsible social distancing” that she is co-hosting the daytime talk show from home.
On Wednesday, Goldberg engaged in the panel discussion for the latest episode of the show from her New Jersey home. While her doctor did approve of her being in the studio, she opted to attend remotely amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Goldberg described her decision to work remotely as a form of “responsible” social distancing. She also shared brief details about her Tuesday visit to the doctor’s office.
“This is what we call responsible, you know, social distancing,” Goldberg explained.
“So, you know, I went to the doctor yesterday to check myself out just to make sure, and he gives me the all-clear to go to work, and I’m getting ready to do it, and then I start hearing these inconsistent messages from everyone.”
Check out Goldberg’s remarks:
“I am great — this is what we call responsible social distancing.”@WhoopiGoldberg joins us from her home as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/f8u2wbJuik pic.twitter.com/xjxUmGXSue
— The View (@TheView) March 18, 2020
Goldberg — who, at the age of 64, falls into the age group particularly at-risk for severe symptoms of coronavirus — went on to voice her concerns about the conflicting information relayed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
While there have been discussions about the possibility of “shelter in place,” no definitive instructions have been announced.
With the inconsistency between state officials and the surge in positive cases in the state of New York, Goldberg insists she would rather take precautions. Although Goldberg does not reside in New York, the show is filmed there, so commuting to the studio could be risky.
She admitted that she would not be going in until definitive instructions are given.
“Until they can get themselves together, the governor and the mayor — until they can figure out what they’re doing, I should not go in.”
Goldberg also admitted that her doctor seemed “annoyed” by her defiance but she would rather just play it safe.
“So that’s why I’m still here. I am healthy. My doctor was very annoyed with me,” Goldberg said, adding, “He was like, ‘I just gave you the okay. Why are you back?’ I said, ‘Because I need a-okay, okay.'”
She continued, “So he gave me the ‘okay, okay,’ but I just felt like, you know, with all this inconsistency between the governor and the mayor, it just, it wasn’t good for me.”
Goldberg’s concerns come a day after Cuomo’s press briefing on the coronavirus. At the time, he projected that the virus would peak in New York within the next 45 days, as IJR reported.
He also estimated that the state may need 55,000 to 110,000 beds and an additional 18,600 to 37,200 intensive-care unit beds.
Gov. Cuomo says expert projections expect peak of coronavirus cases in NY in 45 days.
— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) March 17, 2020
Cuomo says state will need 55,000-110,000 hospital beds and 18,600-37,200 ICU beds at projected peak, and state currently has 53,000 hospital beds and 3,000 ICU beds. https://t.co/3sgN6oNcei
More than 7,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in the United States, as of Wednesday afternoon.
