MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Quarantining After Possible Coronavirus Exposure

On Friday night, MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow announced that she was entering self-isolation due to possible contact with COVID-19. Maddow has been instrumental in the network’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election this week and went into quarantine conditions just hours before Joe Biden was projected as the winner. Fans wished Maddow a speedy recovery on social media.

“Everything happens, all at once,” Maddow wrote on Twitter. “I have had a close contact test positive for COVID — I’ve tested negative thus far but will be at home quarantining ’til it’s safe for me to be back at work without putting anyone at risk. You will be in good hands tonight with Nicolle and Joy and Brian and the Great and Good Mr. Kornacki and the whole MSNBC crew. See you soon! Wishing everyone patience and calm; may these remarkable times bring out the best in all of us. — Rachel.”

“We love you Rachel [Maddow] and we miss you already!!” tweeted her MSNBC co-anchor Joy Reid. “Will send my patented [Netflix] recommendations. Prepare to be ENTERTAINED!!!! (Even though I know you’ll be totally immersed in this apparently 147-year election along with [Nicolle Wallace] and all of us…)”

“Thank you for leading us all the way to the finish line,” added co-host Lawrence O’Donnell. “Big (figurative because of covid) hug!!!”

Maddow is one of MSNBC’s most recognizable anchors, known for hosting The Rachel Maddow Show on weeknights. This week, she was a part of the non-stop live coverage team for the 2020 presidential election, as it took days to reach a conclusive projection on the winner. As of late Saturday morning, The Associated Press, MSNBC and other outlets are projecting former Vice President Biden to be the winner.

Biden’s win is not yet guaranteed, as vote-counting continues in many states and some are entering recounts to be safe. However, contrary to the president’s public statements, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or other election tampering. Experts believe that Biden has secured the electoral college votes from the state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the mark of 270 votes in total — the minimum needed to win a presidential election.

“I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris,” Biden wrote in his first public statement after the projection on Saturday. “In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America. With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to united. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.”