WNIR radio personality Jim Isabella has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Isabella is now in isolation at University Hospital’s Parma Hospital.

He said via phone Wednesday evening that he came down with flu-like symptoms last week, was hospitalized initially for pneumonia and was tested for coronavirus on Monday.

The results of the test came back positive Wednesday.

"Obey what the people are telling you," Isabella, whose last radio show was Friday, said. "I don’t know where the hell I got it. You have to be smart. You have to be smart.

"This is not a drill."

According to a post from the station’s website, several other on-air staff will have to go into quarantine because they have been in contact with Isabella.

The station said for the time being, Steve French, Bob Golic and Mark Richards will also be in quarantine to avoid risk of spreading the virus. The plan is for the hosts to work from home, which is why they may sound different over the radio for a while.

Isabella admits he is not feeling good and has a cough and a rattle in his chest and finds it hard to talk — a tough proposition for a guy who makes his living talking to others.

"The less I talk the better I feel," he said. "This is just tough, man."

Isabella has been a popular talk show host at WNIR on weekdays from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

He started as a fill-in host at the station and landed his own show on Nov. 29, 2013.

Isabella previously worked at a number of media outlets in Northeast Ohio, including the Akron Beacon Journal, covering everything from breaking news to sports.

Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.