LL Cool J Tests Positive For COVID-19, Cancels New Year’s Eve Appearance
By Kristin Myers on December 29, 2021 at 8:06 PM EST
Rapper LL Cool Jjust revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19.
LL Cool J, who was supposed to perform on ABC’s annual “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest,” had to cancel his scheduled appearance. ABC producers also revealed that R&B singer Chlöe will not perform at the special for undisclosed reasons.
“I know it’s disappointing to the millions of fans but my test came back positive for COVID, which means I’ll no longer be able to perform as scheduled at NYRE,” LL Cool J said in a statement. “We were ready and I was really looking forward to ringing in 2022 in my hometown in a special way, but for now I wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year. The best is yet to come!”
The show is celebrating its 50th anniversary and will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest from Time’s Square. It will also feature the show’s first-ever countdown in Spanish from Puerto Rico, where Daddy Yankee is scheduled to perform.
Performers Billy Porter, Karol G, and the band Journey, are all scheduled to appear in New York City. Performers Ciara, Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, Big Boi, OneRepublic, and French Montana are all scheduled to perform from Los Angeles.
Recent Rise In COVID-19 Cases Sparks Concerns From Public
Many have been concerned about the New Year’s Eve celebration with the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
Earlier this week, the United States witnessed a record seven-day average of more than 265,000 positive COVID-19 cases per day. This breaks the previous record of 252,000 average cases a day, which was set on January 11, 2021.
More than 75,000 Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19 and over 1,500 deaths per day are being reported. If that figure continues, it means that more than 10,000 people will die of COVID-19 a week. The Centers For Disease Control reported that only 62% of the country is vaccinated.
CDC Issues New Guidelines Ahead Of The New Year
The CDC has issued new guidelines to try to reduce staffing shortages that are plaguing businesses, hospitals, and airports.
According to these new guidelines, if you test positive for COVID-19, you no longer have to self-isolate for ten days. Instead, you only have to isolate for five days. If you still feel symptoms, you should continue to self-isolate until your symptoms subside.
If you have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, you do not have to isolate if you are vaccinated and have received a booster shot. However, they recommend that you wear a mask in public for at least ten days after exposure.
If someone is unvaccinated, only got one dose of the vaccine, or is fully vaccinated but has yet to receive a booster shot, then the CDC encourages you to self-isolate for five days. If you have COVID-like symptoms after five days, then you should continue to isolate. If you do not have symptoms, then you may return to normal activities after five days. However, the CDC strongly encourages you to wear a mask for at least five more days while in public.
