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These influencers apparently don't think the rules apply to them.
By Nicole Pomarico — Written on Apr 03, 2020
Although it can be fun to have extra time to take naps and watch Netflix, after more than two weeks of social distancing, it's easy to understand why some people might be getting bored ... and now, most of the country is even under stay at home orders that limits our options for entertainment even further.
But even though staying home is obviously the easiest (and most effective) way of slowing the spread of coronavirus, certain influencers are behaving as if the rules don't apply to them.
Here are a fwe social media influencers disobeying stay at home orders so far as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep the United States — and what's most disturbing is that these people influence other people; hence: influencers. Don't take heed, others!
Influencer Arielle Charnas says she tested positive, but failed to isolate.
Fans have been a bit suspicious of Charnas' struggle with COVID-19, mostly because she seemed to bounce back from the illness very quickly and then disobeyed stay at home orders pretty much immediately, forgoing the recommended 14-day quarantine period while she recovered, and her family even headed out to the Hamptons together. Since then, Charnas has apologized and attempted to explain her actions on Instagram.
"We all make mistakes, including me, especially when a crisis such as this is developing so quickly," she wrote. "My family and I are truly sorry to those we have offended for not appearing to be taking this crisis gravely seriously, and we are committed to making informed, responsible decisions moving forward."
But that hasn't stopped others from vocalizing their outrage at her decision:
Influencer Naomi Davis left New York City with her five kids on an RV road trip.
New York has quickly become the epicenter of the virus in the United States, and residents are encouraged to stay put to avoid worsening the spread elsewhere. But this week, blogger Naomi Davis revealed that she decided to rent an RV so that she and her family could leave the city — a decision that understandably got a lot of pushback from her followers.
But Davis defended her decision. "Hopefully a little change of apartment scenery will be just what we need — for everyone’s physical health, for my headspace which is spiraling lately — and for our kids’ own mental health. This situation is serious everywhere and I am sending my love and prayers to you wherever you are," Davis wrote.
Ali Maffuci escaped to Florida.
Cooking blogger Maffuci also made the choice to flee New Jersey with her family in favor of heading to Florida, and although her followers weren't impressed with her choice, she shared in an interview that she believed she was keeping everyone safer, even strangers.
“My husband and I spent hours and hours deliberating and ultimately we felt that it was essential travel because we felt like our lives were at risk where we were,” Maffuci said. “We couldn’t help but to have interacted with people if we’d stayed in Jersey City so I think our decision is actually saving lives."
Larz ignored all rules of coronavirus safety (and safety in general).
Taking on a new (and questionable) internet challenge, an influencer named Larz (who has since deleted his Twitter and Instagram accounts) made headlines for licking toilet seats amid the pandemic panic. After sharing videos of himself licking a toilet seat in a public restroom, Larz later shared that he'd tested positive for COVID-19 before disappearing from the internet entirely.
Celebrities have been ignoring stay at home orders, too.
Over the last couple of weeks, we've seen stars like Jennifer Lopez, Jaden Smith, and Nina Dobrev leaving their house, socializing with other people, and even going to the gym... despite the fact that they live in places where they're supposed to be staying at home. It can definitely be frustrating to see as the majority of us continue to stay inside to protect ourselves and others.
No matter what Influencers do, staying home is the best choice.
There's no way to 100% avoid the coronavirus (after all, we have to get groceries sometime, and many of us are still essential employees), but the best course of action right now is to stay home, wash our hands, and regularly disinfect surfaces. Some influencers may not be setting the best example right now, but it's up to the rest of us to do the right thing until this pandemic is behind us.
And no licking toilet seats, everyone!
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.