Joy Behar is taking time off as a co-host of “The View” as a safety precaution against coronavirus, Variety has learned.

Behar, 77, announced her decision Thursday during a pre-taped episode of “The View” that will air Friday. Neither she nor any of the staff members that work on the ABC daytime talk show have tested positive for the coronavirus. But Behar has decided that she’s staying home for now — at the urging of her daughter — to keep herself safe from the threat of getting sick.

“I’m in a higher risk group because of my age, but I’m perfectly healthy,” Behar says on the show. “I don’t look my age, but I’m actually up there. The number makes me dizzy.”

Behar will not be on “The View” next week, and then she’ll decide when to return after that.

The remaining co-hosts of “The View” – which includes Whoopi Goldberg, Meghan McCain and Sunny Hostin – will continue to appear on the talk show. This week, “The View” followed many other daytime and late-night programs that stopped allowing a live studio audience at tapings.

Experts recommend working from home and social distancing as methods to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which has proven to be more life-threatening in cases involving older patients and those whose immune systems are compromised.

The coronavirus is a global pandemic that has swept through the world, with more than 1,500 cases reported in the United States so far. In Hollywood, the threat of the virus has cancelled productions and quickly changed normal life.

Broadway announced that it will be shutting all productions through April 12, which could cost more than $100 million in lost ticket sales.

And big studio movies, such as “Fast & Furious 9” and “The Quiet Place 2,” have pushed back their release dates in anticipation of audiences not feeling safe going to the movies.

On Thursday afternoon, Disney decided that it would be closing down its California resort Disneyland to guard against the outbreak.

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