It’s been a few days since “General Hospital” star Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) announced he had tested positive for COVID-19, and now the actor has taken to Instagram to thank fans and followers for keeping him and his family in their thoughts and prayers.
“All is well. Thanks for the well wishes and prayers! Appreciate it and the fam is great!” the actor wrote on the social media platform. He didn’t indicate any changes in his positive status or provide any updates beyond what was written.
On Friday, August 13, Burton shared an Instagram video in which he revealed he had been exposed to COVID-19 at work. Initially, he received a negative test result but the actor opted to take another test before traveling on a plane ahead of a planned appearance in Boston this past weekend as part of the “Stone Cold and the Jackal” tour he had scheduled with co-star Bradford Anderson (Damian Spinelli). Anderson had already arrived before Burton’s planned departure as he had been spending time with family, Burton stated.
“Long story short, I was exposed at work,” Burton shared in the video last week. “I tested Wednesday. I tested negative, and then I wanted to take another test before I got on an airplane to be safe to come out and see you guys, and then I tested positive.” He further stated at the time, “I feel fine, I have no symptoms, other than being really bummed that we can’t see you guys, so, thank you for your patience.”
Ever since Burton made his status public, uncorroborated stories have run rampant with people speculating about Burton’s vaccination status, particularly after his co-star Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) revealed on Thursday, August 12 via Twitter, “I work on a set with unmasked, unvaccinated actors, because my union thus far @sagaftra has allowed this. Full stop.” She addressed her message on the matter to union presidential candidates Fran Drescher and Matthew Modine.
In late July, The Walt Disney Company, the parent of ABC which owns and broadcasts “General Hospital,” announced that it will require all salaried and hourly employees to be vaccinated. Conversations with unions representing employees under the collective bargaining agreements are currently underway, Disney noted.
Netflix became the first Hollywood studio to mandate vaccinations for actors and other crew members working in “Zone A,” meaning those who come in close proximity to actors working on sets where wearing a face mask is unlikely due to filming. Amazon Studios is reportedly soon set to follow. NBC’s “Chicago Med” became the first network series to mandate vaccinations for its cast and all those who fall into the “Zone A” category.
“All sets revolve around zone A,” shared Grahn in a follow-up Twitter post on August 12. “That’s anyone who has direct contact with actor who must be unmasked to film. Therefore ANY actor unvaccinated endangers EVERY person on every set. Jesus F’in Christ @sagaftra do ur job, & anyone currently running for office address this #please.” She added, “Potentially endangers. With Delta the spread is greater, even if vaccinated. However unvaccinated increases it exponentially.”
To be clear, Burton’s vaccination status is his alone to publicly reveal just like it was his alone to publicly reveal his testing positive for COVID-19 after initially testing negative. We do not know who Grahn was talking about in her post and we should not be speculating on matters we have no direct knowledge about. The situation is an internal one and will be handled by those in charge at “GH” however they see fit.
Keep checking Soap Opera Network as this story continues to develop.