The tired eNCA anchor Jane Dutton is off air and home after she tested positive for Covid-19, saying she is in the second phase of the disease, adding that she's in a sense been "been waiting for it. You feel that it's inevitable".
Her 83-year old mom now also has Covid-19.
Jane Dutton's Covid-19 positive diagnosis follows that of fellow eNCA (DStv 403) anchor Shahan Ramkissoon who tested positive for the coronavirus in mid-June and isolated at home.
Shortly after him the eNCA reporter Heidi Giokos, the younger sister of TV reporter Eleni Giokos working for CNN International (DStv 401) from CNN's Johannesburg bureau, in July revealed that she had Covid-19 and was recuperated at home.
Later in July the longtime eNCA graphic designer Michael Wilson passed away from Covid-19, two months after the eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom died in mid-May from Covid-19.
Besides eNCA, South African TV news anchors and reporters at all local TV news channels have all been impacted by Covid-19 cases. Staffers at the SABC's SABC News (DStv 404) division in bureaus across the country, eMedia Investments' eNCA and its e.tv News and eNuus divisions in Cape Town and at its Hyde Park headquarters in Johannesburg, as well as Newzroom Africa (DStv 405) in Johannesburg and Cape Town have all been affected and have been grappling with Covid-19 cases.
In March, the eNCA morning anchor Jane Dutton said that she had placed herself in self-quarantine at home after she returned from aholiday in the United States. At that stage South Africa had "only" 61 positive Covid-19 cases.
Last week before Christmas eNCA viewers started to notice Jane Dutton's on-air absence but due to shift rotations and special work schedules kicking in for the holiday period within newsrooms across South Africa, viewers assumed that she was off as part of the Christmas period.
"Last Thursday I lost my voice, my throat was quite sore. I thought it was a sinus issue - laryngitis which many of my friends have had. And then on Saturday that quite surreal feeling of losing taste and smell," said a tired Jane Dutton on Tuesday morning when she did a video interview from home on eNCA.
"I've been waiting for it. You feel that it's inevitable," said Jane Dutton who mentioned that "You feel quite tired".
"I gather there are 4 stages, I'm in the second one, then the next stage is the tipping point: Am I going to improve or get worse?"
"There are so many surfaces, and when you are positive you realise how much you touch and can be contaminating," she said.
"I'm pernickety about this. I don't go to shopping centres firstly - I don't believe in the commercialisation of Christmas. I don't particularly like it, I've been avoiding them. I've been doing sort of minimal short-term shops. I don't know."
"My brother came out from Ireland, he obviously tested negative before getting on the plane. But what happens on planes? Surfaces. You're surrounded by so many people. Did I pick it up at work? I have absolutely no idea."
"My mom - she's 83 - she's also got it, which is obviously a bit of a concern."
"So, we possibly got it together. Where? I really have no idea. But it doesn't mean that you should let your guard down. If anything, be more aware because it really is everywhere and it's a more dire strain," said Jane Dutton.
