Greg Rikaart reports he is recovering from coronavirus

Greg Rikaart. who portrays Kevin Fisher on The Young and the Restless announced on March 25 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. The actor said at that time, that two weeks prior, everyone in his household had cold symptoms. He watched as his family members recovered and he happened to be the only one who did not. The soap veteran spoke out on Instagram, at the time, saying his symptoms began with a slight cough and he was later diagnosed with pneumonia. He added that he is only 43, eats healthy, exercises regularly, does not smoke and only drink's occasionally. Rikaart says this has been the most difficult experience to deal with in his life. His testimony only proves that Covid-19 does not discriminate and that everyone is vulnerable to the virus.

Greg Rikaart said that as his condition deteriorated, he self isolated himself from his family and had been in solo quarantine since March 14. In addition to the cough, he said his symptoms included a fever that lasted for 11 days, and he had difficulty breathing. Although he did not mention it, I saw a Twitter video of the actor when he thought he simply had a cold and he mentioned green mucus when he blew his nose. Rikaart said he is confident that he has finally turned a corner and is now fever free for the first time since the illness took hold. The actor says he was told to remain in isolation for an additional 72 hours before he can reunite with his family. Let’s hope all goes well and that his loved ones remain free of Covid-19.

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Greg Rikaart originated his role as Kevin Fisher in 2003 on The Young and the Restless, and quickly became a fan favorite. In the summer of 2017 after portraying the Chipmunk for 14 years, the CBS daytime drama abruptly wrote the actor out of the show. A few months later he returned for a short stint and after Mal Young was fired as head writer in 2019, both Rikaart and Elizabeth Hendrickson,( his television wife Chloe) returned. Fans of the popular duo have been disappointed as they have not really been involved in any front burner storylines. Initially they were going to take down Adam Newman, but that storyline went in a totally different direction. Chloe and Kevin were left on the sidelines as Adam’s feud with Victor became front and center.

At this point, on The Young and the Restless, Kevin and Chloe have been relegated to eating out with Michael and Lauren. The two couples were together during the snow storm when Chloe thought she was going into labor, but it turned out to be a false alarm. Y&R viewers took notice that Chloe went from announcing her pregnancy to being about to give birth in only a matter of a few months. Some fans believe her gestation period was bumped up to coincide with Elizabeth Hendrickson’s maternity leave. The CBS daytime drama has been on haitus since Match 17, and Elizabeth Hendrickson who was pregnant in real time gave birth to a baby girl. Perhaps by the time The Young and the Restless can resume producing new episodes, Greg Rikaart will be healthy and back to work and Ms. Hendrickson will be back from her maternity leave.

This brings up another safety issue that may affect the world of daytime drama, if it is duly noted. Greg Rikaart was portraying Kevin and having love seems with Elizabeth Hendrickson who plays his wife Chloe. Had the actor tested positive during filming those scenes, he could have put Hendrickson and her unborn child at risk, by padding Covid-19 to them. This my have placed other cast and crew on the Y&R set in peril as well. Thankfully this scenario did not play out but should serve as a warning moving forward. Let’s hope that when all of this is over and done, that the way actors portra romantic encounters might be revisited and altered for their safety.

Spoiler alerts for The Young and the Restlesd don’t mention Kevin and Chloe in the next two week projections but eventually they will return and she will give birth to their son. Please note that The Young and the Restless is nearing the end of the hiatus from filming episodes. If the self containment continues they will run out of new episodes. Soap Dirt is reporting, however, that Traci Bergman who portrays Lauren revealed what the plan would be in such a situation. The actress says that new episodes of the CBS daytime drama will air in Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and repeats of classic shoes will be presented on Thursday and Friday until everything is back to normal. Be on the lookout for breaking news and updates for all things related to the residents of General City and continue enjoying The Young and the Restlesd each weekday afternoon.