Joy Behar Taking Time Off ‘The View’ Over Age-Related Coronavirus Concerns: Report

Joy Behar will take a break from “The View” as a precaution due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, Variety first reported Thursday.

The 77-year-old co-host reportedly made the announcement during Thursday’s pretaped episode of the daytime talk show, set to air Friday.

“I’m in a higher risk group because of my age, but I’m perfectly healthy,” Behar reportedly said. “I don’t look my age, but I’m actually up there. The number makes me dizzy.”

The measure is solely a precaution ― neither Behar nor other staff on the show are known to have tested positive for the coronavirus. However, at the urging of her daughter, Behar has decided to remain at home to avoid infection. After pausing her duties for a week, she will consider when she might return to the show, Variety reported.

The CDC warns that elderly people and those with pre-existing medical conditions limit their travel, and the nation’s top infectious disease expert warned people in those high-risk groups to avoid crowds.

HuffPost has reached out to ABC and Behar’s representatives for comment.

“View” co-hosts Sunny Hostin, Whoopi Goldberg and Meghan McCain will still appear on the panel. 

Like many other daytime talk shows, “The View” taped without an audience in a bid to limit public gatherings over coronavirus concerns. Many New York and Los Angeles-based late night shows also nixed studio audiences, and on Thursday, NBC suspended production altogether for “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) moved to ban gatherings of 500 people or more on Thursday, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) banned groups of 250 or more in an announcement late Wednesday night.

More than 1,500 people had been infected with COVID-19 nationwide, and at least 39 patients with the virus had died as of Thursday.

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