Hoda Kotb And Savannah Guthrie Explain Why Missing The Olympics Is Bittersweet
Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie are co-anchors on the "Today" show and share a sweet friendship, evidenced by the mutual love they highlight on Instagram. In one post from October 2021, Guthrie expressed her love for Kotb with an adorable photo of the two gazing at each other while holding mics. In the accompanying caption, she wrote, "lots of times we don't even need words," and added a heart emoji. In the comments section, her fans wrote about how much they love seeing the friendship that the two women share. "An amazing duo," one social media user commented, while another penned, "Your true friendship is a beautiful thing!"
Ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, Kotb and Guthrie announced that they would not be in attendance this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, as per People. Coincidentally, both recently caught COVID, and now fear that vigorous testing protocols on-site will continue to detect the virus in their systems. In early January, ET revealed that Kotb took a leave of absence to recover from a bout of COVID just a few days following the announcement that Guthrie was temporarily out with the virus as well. Kotb made sure to update her Twitter followers on her condition while she was out, writing that she was "feeling good" alongside a thank you for their "well wishes."
While Kotb and Guthrie will still cover the Olympic ceremony remotely, their decision to stay behind is bittersweet.
Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie are looking on the bright side
Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie are staying home in New York instead of attending the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. They aren't the only ones — most of the Today news reporting team is not risking the international trip while the COVID pandemic continues to rage on. The only correspondent that will be in attendance is Craig Melvin.
Both Kotb and Guthrie discussed their decision to sit this trip out with the publication on February 3. Kotb specified that having to stay home is a "bummer" because she will miss the bonding experience that takes place as a team. Guthrie has a bit more of a cavalier attitude about the change in plans. "Like everything, we've just adjusted," she said, per People. One of the upsides to not traveling is that they don't have to leave their kids behind for two weeks, which makes them and their kids happy. "When we do go, we miss them like crazy," Guthrie admitted.
In January, NPR outlined the rigorous COVID protocols that will be in place at the 2022 Games. For starters, the competition will take place within a "closed-loop" system, which means that participants will be constantly protected from contact with the outside population. Robots will also take over some of the cooking and serving duties to minimize human-human contact, while a pre-cleared fleet of taxis and shuttles will transport attendees. Additionally, everyone in attendance will undergo daily testing.