Disney's Bob Iger Reminds People to Listen to Medical Professionals

Bob Iger is once again warning the masses to heed the warnings of medical professionals around the [...]

By Adam Barnhardt

Bob Iger is once again warning the masses to heed the warnings of medical professionals around the world as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow. In a tweet Monday night, Iger reminded his followers that medical experts have warned us of the threats of the novel coronavirus for weeks, and urged those reading to continue to self-quarantine.

"Watching the news & feeling sad for our world," Iger says. "For weeks, medical experts exhorted us to exercise extreme caution, to stay home, to create social distance. Trust THEM! Heed THEIR advice & for heaven's sake, support the medical personnel who are fighting valiantly to save lives."

Iger, of course, serves as executive chairman for The Walt Disney Company, one of the many conglomerations to have shut down many facets of its business. To date, Disney has temporarily shuttered virtually all of its theme parks around the world while halting any productions underway through its Walt Disney Studios arm.

The closures including both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, which went from being closed through the end of March to closing down indefinitely as per a statement over the weekend. Monday morning, Disney CEO Bob Chapek — who took over for Iger earlier in the year — sent a memo to Disney staff revealing most senior executives would be taking substantial pay cuts until the parks were able to reopen.

"In light of this, we are going to be implementing a variety of necessary measures designed to better position us to weather these extraordinary challenges," part of Chapek's memo reads. "Among them, we will be asking our senior executives to help shoulder the burden by taking a reduction in pay - effective April 5, all VPs will have their salaries reduced by 20%, SVPs by 25%, and EVPs and above by 30%. I will be taking a 50% reduction in my salary."

The statement concludes, "This temporary action will remain in effect until we foresee a substantive recovery in our business. Our executive chairman, Bob Iger, has chosen to forgo 100% of his salary."

Cover photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

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