Masks Or No Masks During The Pandemic: Famous People Add Fuel Not Water To A Fiery Situation, Part 2

During this pandemic – from March to present – we spent the majority of our time in lock-down or shelter-in-place, in other words, in-doors. 

We sought entertainment from streaming sites such as Netflix, watching old movies and TV shows, entertaining each other; and cleaning repeatedly.

As of writing this article, the U.S. has over five million confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 160,000 deaths due to the pandemic. Around the world it’s 20 million cases and counting, with nearly a million deceased. 

The Corona-virus spread is growing, and it is up to all in the U.S. and globally to stop the spread in these ways – suggested and in most cases mandated by governments and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) – that we continue to do: social distance, keep six feet apart or more; wash your hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer; if you feel sick, stay home; cough in your elbow; and imperatively use a mask or face covering. 

Most of us are following these rules, in comparison, some celebrities and famous people are not adhering to staying home, or even wearing a mask or face covering. For some of them, it is business as usual.

Several celebrities are compounding the situation, and therefore making it challenging for those who are doing everything to prevent the virus from growing. A few famous people, one too many, are continuing to party, perform and have shows, and use social media to promote themselves and their projects. 

Here are some further examples. 

Are Celebrities/Famous People Anti-Maskers? If They Are Not, Their Actions Otherwise Indicate A Reckless Attitude To The Crisis  

Not joking at all, what does a Latinx entrepreneur, and a Marvel superhero actress have in common? They are not saving the world. Instead, they are almost presenting themselves as anti-maskers. 

In Florida, a Latinx entrepreneur and social media influencer Juan Patron – based in Miami – did the unthinkable: Patron had a party in his home with his “quaranteam.” Although the party took place in April, Florida now is the hot zone of the Corona-virus pandemic. 

At the party in April, Patron, along with his friends, appeared in a video to be not wearing masks or social distancing. According to reports, Patron invited his friends and others to his apartment for a watch party. They all congregated on Patron’s balcony and viewed DJ David Guetta, who played at the pool of Patron’s apartment building. 

Then, the next day he served McDonald’s meals to people in need without wearing a mask or gloves. The backlash was swift. Patron later apologized to his Instagram page and also stated that he would self-quarantine. 

From one social media influencer to Evangeline Lilly, who was the star of Lost and star of the blockbuster films The Hobbit trilogy and Marvel movies Antman, Antman and the Wasp, and Avengers: Endgame. In March, when the pandemic started raging in the U.S. Lilly was quick to point out that it was “business as usual.” 

Lilly posted on her Instagram: “just dropped…kids off at gymnastics camp…washed their hands before going in.” 

Lilly went on to write in the comments section of the Instagram post: “here we are right now feels a lot too close to Marshall Law…all in the name of a respiratory flu…Let’s be vigilant right now…Watchful…keeping a close eye on our leaders…they don’t abuse this moment to steal…freedoms and grab more power.”

A lot of people seemed to support the superhero actress, Lilly received over 25,000 likes at the time. Even Oscar nominee Michelle Pfeiffer showed support to Lilly’s sentiment by liking it as well. 

However, Lilly’s former Lost co-star Maggie Grace had opposing views and wished that Lilly reconsidered. 

Grace responded via social media: “Hey there, I read your pre-edit post and find it concerning…no need to panic, but…this is about all of us…vulnerable, the immunocompromised, older folks…it’s a free country…how about choosing to exercise some of that wonderful freedom…have some compassion, trust the extensive science here…not overwhelm…health system. No doctor should have to choose which patients get life-saving care and which patients get sent home to die…sort of triage that is tragically happening in Italy right now.”

Grace finished off her post: “I say this with all humility, please rethink this…kids will be just fine without going to gymnastics, I promise. P.S.: Daniel said he is doing much better btw. I don’t know, maybe you guys wanna chat?”

The Daniel that Grace was referring to was Daniel Dae Kim, Lilly and Grace’s former co-star from Lost. Kim recovered from contracting the Corona-virus in Hawaii, he reportedly caught the virus in New York City.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar summed up celebrity’s reckless behavior during the pandemic in his article for The Hollywood Reporter by writing: “Like it or not, stars with their millions of followers do have the power to affect the course of this pandemic by what they say. Which is why it’s crucial that while they’re self-isolating, they also need to be self-editing. Saying ‘”we’re all in this together”‘ is easy; proving it is the challenge.”

It is actions, and also words that help and hurt all of us during this deadly outbreak. Most celebrities can live with the loss of fans/followers, but for most of us, it will be difficult for us to deal with the loss of life. 

We all need to be responsible, the every-man, and the one up top as well.