CNNs Chris Cuomo, Brother of Governor, Tests Positive for Coronavirus – The New York Times

Chris Cuomo, the CNN anchor and younger brother of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the network said on Tuesday.

Mr. Cuomo, 49, is feeling well, according to a memo distributed by CNN to staff members, and he plans to continue hosting his prime-time program from a studio in his home basement, where he is in quarantine.

A veteran news personality who joined CNN in 2013, Mr. Cuomo the youngest child of Mario M. Cuomo, the former New York governor is one of the most prominent members of the American media to learn he had the virus so far.

His program, Cuomo Prime Time, is a linchpin of CNNs coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, and he has conducted several remote interviews with his brother on the governors efforts to combat the outbreak in New York.

I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fever, chills, and shortness of breath, Chris Cuomo said in a Twitter post on Tuesday, adding that he was hopeful he had not passed on the illness to his wife and children. He joked that the rest of the family seem pleased by his isolation in their basement, writing, We will all beat this by being smart and tough and united!

Governor Cuomo was in the midst of a nationally televised coronavirus briefing when news of his brothers diagnosis became public. The governor said that he had learned of Chris Cuomos illness on Tuesday morning, and that his brother is going to be fine.

Hes young, in good shape, strong not as strong as he thinks but he will be fine, the governor said, wryly. (The Cuomos often engage in on-air brotherly teasing.)

But Governor Cuomo continued at length about the more serious implications of his brothers diagnosis, including his relief that their 88-year-old mother, Matilda Cuomo, had not moved into Chris Cuomos home. The governor said he had told his brother that such a move would be a mistake."

You bring her to your house, you expose her to a lot of things, the governor said. She would have been doing what she wanted to do, he would have been doing what he wanted to do; it would have seemed great and harmless. But now we have a much different situation. Because if he was exposed, chances are she may very well have been exposed, and then we would be looking at a different situation than just my brother sitting in his basement for two weeks.

Andrew Cuomo is not known for public displays of sentiment. But his voice turned contemplative as he spoke about his sibling. Hes combative and hes argumentative and hes pushing people, but thats his job. Thats really not who he is, the governor said. Hes a sweet, beautiful guy, and hes my best friend.

Theres a lesson in this, the governor said. Hes an essential worker, a member of the press, so hes been out there. If you go out there, the chance that you get infected is very high.

Chris Cuomo is the third CNN employee in New York to receive a positive diagnosis. The network said he was last in the networks Manhattan offices on Friday.

Jonah Engel Bromwich contributed reporting.

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CNNs Chris Cuomo, Brother of Governor, Tests Positive for Coronavirus - The New York Times