NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — CNN's Chris Cuomo, brother of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has tested positive for coronavirus.
"In these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus," Cuomo wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. "I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fever, chills and shortness of breath."
The prime-time host said he hopes he doesn't infect his wife and children, "That would make me feel worse than this illness."
He is now in quarantine in his basement and said he will do his shows from there.
"We will all beat this by being smart and tough and united," Cuomo concluded.
The governor addressed his brother's diagnosis during his daily coronavirus briefing Tuesday morning.
"He is going to be fine," the governor said. "He's young, in good shape, strong — not as strong as he thinks —but he will be fine."
Gov. Cuomo said his younger brother is in good spirits and even joked to him, "Even the dogs won't come downstairs."
But the governor said this virus is the great equalizer and no one is immune, not even his own family, and that there's an important lesson to be learned here.
"He's an essential worker so he's been out there. If you go out there, the chance you get infected is very high," the governor said. "He's smart, he's social distancing, yes, but you wind up exposing yourself, people wind up exposing you and then they find out they're positive a few days later."
While he said his brother will be fine, the governor said the situation could be much worse if his mother were to get infected.
"Two weeks ago, mother was at his house and I said, 'That is a mistake,'" Gov. Cuomo said. "My mother is in a different situation; she's older, she's healthy, but you can't have mom at the house, he said, 'No, no, no. Mom is lonely, she's cooped up in the apartment,' but you bring her to your house, you expose her to a lot of things."
The governor used his family as an example to remind New Yorkers to stay home and not to have contact with those who are at risk. He said while his brother was acting out of love, it's important for everyone to keep in mind who is vulnerable to the virus and protect them.
"This virus is that insidious and we have to keep that in mind," the governor said. "It's my family, it's your family, it's all of our families."
Gov. Cuomo has been one of the most visible political figures in the pandemic and was on his brother's show Monday. His reponse to the virus has received an 87% approval rating among New York voters.