ABC veteran weatherman Paul Higgins yanked off air after serious Covid-19 breach

A veteran ABC weatherman has been yanked off the air after a serious Covid stunt which sent the newsroom into a frenzy.

Veteran ABC weatherman Paul Higgins has been caught in a Covid testing storm.

The Aunty stalwart has been missing from the screen over the past fortnight after being yanked off on-air duties following what was described as a serious breach of the network’s Covid protocols.

Sources said Higgins failed to isolate while awaiting results from a PCR test, continuing to front up to work as the main newsreader for numerous bulletins.

The newsroom was stunned when Higgins stood up and announced he had just received the results of a positive test sending panic waves through the office.

ABC weather presenter Paul Higgins has been with the network for almost 20 years.

The outrage among colleagues was further fuelled when “Higgo” then proceeded to walk around the newsroom without a mask.

Management immediately suspended him from on-air duties with an internal investigation underway.

When contacted by Page 13 an ABC spokesman yesterday said:

“For confidentiality and privacy reasons the ABC doesn’t comment on matters involving members of staff. The ABC has rigorous procedures and protocols for managing Covid in the workplace.”

It is well known in the corridors at Aunty that Higgo has long held lofty ambitions to be the main news anchor, rather than dealing with daily heatwaves and overnight lows.

He had been scheduled to be in the main seat as a fill-in for the summer January period.

But is still missing in action despite his seven-day isolation period having ended.

Higgins had ambitions to be the ABC’s main anchor at the network.

Fortunately for Higgo, no positive cases have been linked to his actions.

Higgins has been a presenter on the ABC for nearly 20 years during which he has been confronted with tragedy in his personal life.

The much-loved presenter spoke of the torment he and his family suffered when his father and his wife were murdered.

New Zealand conman Edwin Lewis was sentenced to 26 years for the murders of Paul Higgins Snr and his wife Carmel in their Melbourne home in 1995.

The then 32 year-old Lewis was the boyfriend of Higgins’ sister Amanda and stole a $180,000 Porsche that motoring journalist Paul Higgins had given to his wife.

“Lewis was as nice as you could possibly get. He was so pleasant and really charming,” Paul Higgins said at the time.

Lewis met Amanda while working as a personal trainer for her mother.

He stabbed Paul and Carmel Higgins and buried them beside their swimming pool in a double murder that shocked Melbourne.