The Sky News presenter Kay Burley will be off air for six months after hosting a birthday party that broke coronavirus regulations. Sky’s political editor, Beth Rigby, and the north of England correspondent Inzamam Rashid have agreed not to be on air for three months. All three journalists will remain on full pay throughout their time away, which was characterised as “agreed” absences rather than suspensions. Sky said in a statement that “all those involved regret the incident and have apologised”. It is understood that the broadcaster hopes the move will draw a line under a damaging episode, and it has no intention of their punishment lasting beyond the announced period. But it now faces covering the continuing coronavirus crisis and the conclusion of Brexit talks without one of its biggest names and, perhaps more troublingly, without its lead political reporter. In an email to colleagues, Burley said: “I’m an idiot. I’m really very sorry. I know I have let so many of you down. There’s really nothing else I can say to excuse my actions.” She said anyone who wished to discuss the situation should call her. She also published a statement on Twitter that said: “It doesn’t matter that I thought I was Covid-compliant on a recent social event. The fact is I was wrong, I made a big mistake, and I am sorry.” She added that she “enormously” regretted others being pulled into the episode. And she said: “I very much look forward to being able to continue my 32-year career with Sky when I return.” In messages sent to colleagues at the broadcaster, Rigby and Rashid also expressed their apologies. Rigby wrote: “I want you to know how sorry I am that I let you all down, as well as our viewers whom we’re here to serve. I will use this time to reflect on all of this and then come back ready to work with you all again in the new year.” Rashid wrote: “I made a mistake and I feel awful for how my actions might reflect on Sky News and the amazing people who work here … I let you down and I want you to know I’m very sorry and it will not happen again.” The panel that assessed the cases concluded that the behaviour of Sam Washington, another presenter who was present for part of the evening, did not merit a sanction and it is understood that she will be back on air next week. Staff on Burley’s breakfast programme are said to be stunned by the news. But senior leaders at Sky are understood to have concluded that they had little choice but to impose a severe punishment on Burley, who admitted to breaking coronavirus rules with the party but claimed to have done so by “popping in” to a restaurant because she needed to “spend a penny”. In fact, Burley was part of a group of 10 that dined at two tables, of six and four, in one venue before moving on to another. A group of four then went on to her home. Sky News has declined to comment on whether they were sitting inside or outside, but acknowledged that rules were broken. Other journalists at the company who spoke to the Guardian were broadly sympathetic to Rashid and Rigby, but several characterised staffers’ view of Burley as more ambivalent. One said there was “something ugly about the glee with which some places have gone after her. She didn’t kill anyone.” But they added: “The tweets haven’t been great … full pay for six months when you’re on what she’s on is a nice punishment.” Another said: “Lots of us have asked for pay rises/bonuses for the last few years and been told there’s no budget.” At an all-hands meeting on Wednesday also covering a range of more routine issues, the head of Sky News, John Ryley, read out the statement that the company put out on Monday which expressed “disappointment” and noted that a review was under way. Concerns that the affair could spiral out of control grew on Wednesday when the veteran presenter Adam Boulton broke ranks to tell the Guardian: “Sky has worked very hard during the whole Covid crisis and has taken a very clear line about public safety, and obviously something like this perhaps underlines [the importance of] that.” The company said: “Everyone at Sky News is expected to comply with the rules and the company takes breaches like this very seriously indeed”.