Married Cincinnati Anchor Team Will Sit Out Newscasts for 2 Weeks Due to Covid-19

By Stephanie Tsoflias Siegel 

Cincinnati anchor Mike Dardis covered the presidential debate last week in Cleveland. Now, he has tested positive for Covid-19.

Because of his diagnosis, the WLWT anchor will be off the air for the next two weeks. So will his wife and co-anchor, Sheree Paolello, who will also quarantine due to Covid-19 exposure.

According to public radio station WVXU, Dardis returned home from the debate with a slightly hoarse voice. That’s when he took a Covid test.

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“I am not sure when I actually contracted Covid-19,” Dardis said. “My voice was slightly impacted last Tuesday night.”

He says he did not get near anyone while covering the debate, including President Donald Trump, who has since tested positive and was hospitalized last weekend.

“I did work Wednesday and Thursday before getting my test results,” Dardis told WVXU. “But again, I am never close to anyone and I always wear a mask at the station. Our company has us practicing very safe protocols.”

Dardis said his symptoms have so far been mild. “The first day or two [I had a] very low-grade fever and a slightly achy body,” he explained. “Symptoms were gone by Saturday afternoon.”

Dardis and Paolello have been co-anchors since 2012, and got engaged in January of last year. Dardis said Paolello encouraged him to get a Covid-19 test prior to a planned visit to his 87-year-old mother.

It’s the second experience with Covid-19 for the couple. The two had tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies earlier in the year, but Dardis was asymptomatic. At the time, Paolello experienced some trouble breathing.

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