Infant Child Of CT TV News Anchor Tests Positive For Coronavirus

CONNECTICUT —The 2-year-old daughter of WFSB Channel 3 evening news anchor Erin Connolly has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Connolly made the announcement to Channel 3 viewers on the air from her home, interviewed in a live feed Wednesday by her colleague Irene O'Connor.

The anchor has been absent from the airwaves for the past week. Her daughter, also named Connolly, tested positive on Monday.

Mom Connolly said she was "completely shocked" by the news.

"I report on it every day, but when it happens to you, it hits home in a completely different way ... "When the pediatrician said it I felt like I almost blacked out," she said.

"I was thinking to myself, 'she's only 2 years old, how can she have it? How is this happening?' Your mind just starts racing."

The news anchor first announced the news Tuesday to her followers on Facebook:

"Connolly experienced a fever and was tested as a precaution. We later learned about an exposure at school. The good news is that she is feeling well...eating, playing and being a two-year-old. As for the rest of us...we are at a drive thru site to get tested, but thankfully none of us are exhibiting any symptoms."

Connolly told O'Connor on Wednesday that her 2-year-old has a small fever, is "a little cranky, a little clingy," but the rest of her family, including 5-year-old daughter Ireland, are "doing very well."

According to a Facebook post on Wednesday, Connolly has been scheduled to return for air shifts 4:30-6:00 p.m. and at 11 p.m., beginning Thursday, working remotely from home.

"If this is a reminder to one person out there to wear a mask, to socially distance, to take this seriously, to realize that Thanksgiving and Christmas aren't going to the normal holidays, then it's worth it," Connolly said.