Today host Ally Langdon announces further changes as they ‘adjust to the new normal’

Today host Ally Langdon this morning announced more changes to the show as she and Karl Stefanovic “adjust to the new normal” of life amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Nine’s breakfast program Today is still feeling the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, two weeks after an outbreak in the studios saw several presenters self-quarantine and Richard Wilkins diagnosed with the virus.

Today co-host Ally Langdon this morning acknowledged that the Today set looked a little different, revealing that she and Karl Stefanovic were now using the Today Extra set used by hosts David Campbell and Belinda Russell.

"You might notice it's a new look here. The show will look a little bit different as we adjust to this normal, so David and Belinda have lent us their studio for the time being,” she said.

Karl and Ally on Today this morning.

News.com.au understands the move is a part of efforts to limit the amount of people on set, with Today Extra’s set using automated cameras.

Langdon also revealed that Today newsreader Tracy Vo, who joined the show at the start of this year, will be “off the desk for a while”, having returned to her hometown of Perth.

“Tracey is also off the desk for a while … She's staying at home in Perth to look after her parents during this crisis. We send her and her family our very best,” said Langdon. Vo had returned to Perth for a family visit but will stay put for now, given the strict state-by-state lockdowns now in place requiring those travelling interstate to self-isolate for 14 days.

Vo has been a popular on-air presence with viewers “out west” since she returned to her home state in 2012 following stints in Sydney and Canberra. She is also the author of a memoir, Small Bamboo: How My Family’s Journey on a Leaky Boat Led to Our Wonderful Life in Australia, which told the story of her parents’ perilous journey from war-torn Vietnam in 1978 to start a new life as refugees in Australia.

Today has in recent weeks become an unexpected key player in Australia’s coronavirus crisis, starting when visiting A-list couple Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced that they’d both been diagnosed with the virus. The diagnosis came just days after Wilson had appeared as a guest on Today Extra, with her announcement sending hosts Campbell and Russell into self-isolation. Both were tested for the deadly virus and got the all-clear. Today hosts Stefanovic and Langdon later assured viewers that the set had been thoroughly cleaned after Wilson’s visit, with furniture from her dressing room removed and replaced.

Today’s veteran entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins wasn’t as lucky as his colleagues: He’d mingled with Wilson backstage at a Sydney concert and later tested positive, although he acknowledged that he could have contracted the virus “from anyone, anywhere, any time, such is the prevalence of this thing.”

Speaking on Today from his home last week after his shock diagnosis, Wilkins said he was feeling fine but acknowledged he was in a “terrifying” situation, appearing emotional as he described telling his children the news. “Having to call my kids and tell them this stuff wasn’t much fun. The weird thing is the only thing you want to do more than anything in the world is hug your kids at a time like this.”