Four CBS News staffers have tested positive for the coronavirus and the network is asking as many employees as possible to work from home.
In a memo to staff on Friday, CBS News president Susan Zirinsky said that the fourth employee to test positive had worked closely with the other three.
“Each of those who have tested positive have provided a detailed list of everyone they have come into contact with during the past few weeks. Our HR team has made great progress in reaching all those who have come into contact with the confirmed cases and those people will be asked to self-quarantine,” Zirinsky said.
Zirinsky said that all employees are expected to work remotely except for a small group.
“We are committed to keeping our footprint in the Broadcast Center and all CBS News bureaus as small as possible and you must be specifically requested to come to work by your manager in order to gain access to the buildings,” she said. "To protect our teams, it will be extremely critical that we keep our shifts in the building as short as possible for at least the next two weeks. Social distancing will be a priority. We are also increasing sanitization and cleaning between every shift.”
Over the weekend CBS News had a small team producing CBS This Morning: Saturday, 48 Hours this week is on tape and a just a handful of people will be needed to complete CBS Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes.
The Saturday and Sunday editions of The CBS Weekend News will originate out of Los Angeles and be produced by KCBS with our LA bureau and oversight from New York, Zirinsky said.
Covering this story–and being part of this story–has taken an incredible effort from every corner of this organization. Our technical staff and operations, our broadcasts, CBSN, CBS News Radio, NewsPath, and all the CBS News bureaus around the country and the world have been have been outstanding, as broadcast locations have moved, teams shifted and many working from home and more,” Zirinski said. “I know none of this is easy, but you have all excelled under extreme personal and professional pressure. I am enormously grateful to everyone.”
