Disney Chairman Bob Iger Issues Statement on Coronavirus Outbreak

Disney chairman Bob Iger took to his Twitter account Saturday evening to issue a brief statement to his followers in regards to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In the tweet, the former Disney CEO reminds fans to exercise caution while out and about and to take note of any guidelines states and municipalities may have in place.

“These are hard, anxiety provoking times,” Iger says. “Remaining connected to friends & loved ones is vital. We owe it to each other to act cautious, adhere to guidelines, care for one another. Maintain hope and resolve.”

In a follow-up tweet, he adds, “We’ve been through a lot over the yrs. We’ve always bounced back. Be strong. Stay healthy.”

According to the New York Times, at least 2,695 have been infected by the virus, resulting in 58 deaths. West Virginia is the only state to have not reported at least one case.

Until last week, Iger served as the CEO of The Walt Disney Company. He was replaced by longtime Disney Parks executive Bob Chapek in order to focus more on the creative output from Disney’s film and television slates.

“With the successful launch of Disney’s direct-to-consumer businesses and the integration of Twenty-First Century Fox well underway, I believe this is the optimal time to transition to a new CEO,” Iger said in a statement shortly after his departure. “I have the utmost confidence in Bob and look forward to working closely with him over the next 22 months as he assumes this new role and delves deeper into Disney’s multifaceted global businesses and operations, while I continue to focus on the Company’s creative endeavors.”

The statement added, “It was not accelerated for any particular reason other than we felt the need was now to make this change. We’ve been engaged as a board in a really comprehensive and very serious succession process and we identified Bob actually quite some time ago as a likely successor to mine and with everything else falling in place the time seemed right. This gives him the opportunity also to work with me over the next number of months to create the smoothest possible transition so that when I leave he will be familiar with all elements of the company, not just those that he’s already managed, but those that he will now begin to manage in this new role.”

Cover photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images