Three Sky News senior reporters including political editor Beth Rigby have been taken off air along with Kay Burley for celebrating her 60th birthday in breach of Covid rules.
It comes as Sky stalwart and colleague Adam Boulton retweeted a furious message from a viewer branding them “morons”.
Correspondent Inzamam Rashid and host Sam Washington have been taken off air along with Ms Rigby pending the result of an investigation following Burley’s party in London on Saturday.
Burley has said she will not front Sky News in the coming weeks due to a pre-planned holiday to Africa, after admitting breaking safety rules.
The TV host, 59, has described the breach as “an error of judgment”.
Following speculation over whether she would return to work before 2021, Burley shared a message on Twitter saying she had always planned to take time off to visit “my beloved Africa”.
Sharing a video from a safari trip, she wrote: “Lovely people, whatever else you read be safe in the knowledge I was always heading to my beloved Africa on Friday to sit with lions. They kill for food not sport.”
Burley previously said she was celebrating her 60th birthday at a “Covid-compliant” restaurant on Saturday and afterwards “popped into another” venue to use the bathroom.
The gathering was in London, which is under Tier 2 restrictions.
Writing on Twitter, Burley said: “I want to apologise to you all for an error of judgment. On Saturday night I was enjoying my 60th birthday at a Covid compliant restaurant.
“I am embarrassed to say that later in the evening I inadvertently broke the rules.
“I had been waiting for a taxi at 11pm to get home. Desperate for the loo I briefly popped into another restaurant to spend a penny. I can only apologise.”
Burley, who presents a daily breakfast show on Sky News, has grilled politicians on lockdown throughout the pandemic.
In May, she questioned cabinet minister Michael Gove on the controversy over Dominic Cummings ’ trip to Barnard Castle.
A Sky News spokesman said: “We place the highest importance on complying with the Government guidelines on Covid, and we expect all our people to comply.
“We were disappointed to learn that a small number of Sky News staff may have engaged in activity that breached the guidelines.
“Although this took place at a social event in personal time, we expect all our people to follow the rules that are in place for everyone.
“An internal process is under way to review the conduct of the people involved.”
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