Doctor self-isolating in kids' tree house to keep his family safe

A doctor has found himself self-isolating in a tree house to make sure he keeps a safe distance from his family during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr Jason Barnes, who works as an emergency room doctor in Texas, USA, is at a higher risk of contracting the disease because of his work on the frontlines of the pandemic.

"I've actually treated patients positive with the virus, and you know, trying to think about bringing that home, it's scary for us," he told KRIS.

Not wanting to put his family's health at risk too, the husband and father considered finding alternate accommodation by renting a hotel room or camper van.

It wasn't long before his wife, Jenna, made a surprising suggestion: why not quarantine in the kid's tree house?

Admitting that at first the suggestion was "just comical", the family quickly realised the backyard shack could actually work.

Kitted out with a bed, air conditioning and his own stores of food, Barnes has made a temporary home in the treehouse that allows him to be close to his family without putting them at risk.

"It takes a little bit of getting used to sleeping on a bunk bed made out of cedar wood," he joked, but said it's what had to be done to keep his family safe.

"Quarantine is serious. But it's the only way we're going to beat this thing."

By staying in the tree house rather than a hotel nearby, Barnes is able to see his family every day after long shifts at the hospital – from a distance, of course.

His wife and children will play in the backyard while Barnes watches from the porch of the treehouse, enjoying the family connection doctors around the world have been forced to give up to keep their loved ones safe.