Trevor Noah pays salaries of furloughed 'Daily Show' crew out of his own pocket amid Covid

Amid the Coronavirus pandemic 'The Daily Show' host Trevor Noah has announced that he will be taking care of the salaries of 25 furloughed members of his crew, who can’t contribute to the remote version of the show. According to media reports, Noah informed that he would personally look after the 25 members until production returns to normalcy.

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As studio production of 'The Daily Show' was halted last month, the 36-year-old has been hosting a remote version of his show titled 'The Daily Social Distancing Show With Trevor Noah' from his home with a limited staff of writers, producers, and a few production staff are contributing remotely. However, with social distancing norms in place, the in-studio crew members such as camera operators, audio technicians, stage management personnel, and video operators have not been able to contribute to the new iteration of the show.

A furlough is considered a temporary but unpaid leave of absence from work. It is different from lay-off as it is assumed that the furloughed employee will be brought back to work at some point.

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COVID-19 situation in the US

As of May 2, there have been at least 1,109,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 64,800 deaths from coronavirus-related illnesses, according to an international daily database. More than 1,000 additional deaths have been announced every day since April 2.

The continued spread of the virus, and the constant rise in the death toll, comes as political leaders seek to reopen parts of the country. But stay-at-home orders remain in effect in many states, Americans have been told to wear face coverings in public and true normalcy remains a distant vision. 

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