As countries including France, Spain and Italy continue to tighten quarantine measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic, things are moving a bit more slowly in the United States and Canada.
Amid reports of full restaurants and bars, celebrities including George Takei, Kumail Nanjiani, Jeffrey Wright, Padma Lakshi and Debra Messing became frustrated with the slow pace and asked followers to stop going out for anything except essentials. Social media campaigns including #StaytheFHome, #flattenthecurve, #stayhomesavelives and #shutdownnyc are attempting to spread the word about minimizing social contact.
China and other Asian countries were able to put strict lockdowns on their citizens to contain the virus, and all indications are that the measures are starting to show results as the number of cases starts to level off in China.
But despite President Donald Trump declaring a state of emergency on Friday and many large cities enacting bans on large gatherings, most restaurants and movie theaters remain open as the number of cases continues to grow in the U.S. A lack of clear direction from the government, hesitancy to cut off millions of peoples’ incomes and uneven levels of urgency among Americans has made the idea of a nationwide quarantine much more difficult to contemplate.
“We should stay home to the fullest extent possible,” Barack Obama tweeted.
Perhaps the cutest appeal to stay home came from Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is cocooning with his pet donkey and pony.
Nanjiani urged followers not to pack restaurants and bars.
Ariana Grande has been vocal on Twitter about people staying home.
Taylor Swift warned her followers to isolate themselves via her Instagram story Sunday afternoon.
“I’m seeing lots of get-togethers and hangs and parties still happening. This is the time to cancel plans, actually truly isolate as much as you can and don’t assume that because you don’t feel sick that you aren’t possibly passing something on to someone elderly or vulnerable to this. It’s a really scary time, but we need to make sacrifices right now,” she wrote.
Padma Lakshi asked people to self-quarantine.
Takei begged followers, “Stay home.”
Here are more notable figures who are calling for staying home to stop the spread of coronavirus.
“Parks and Recreation” co-creator Michael Schur, who goes by @KenTremendous on Twitter, asked for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to be shut down.
Tim Federle, creator of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” called on mayors to limit non-essential spaces.
Debra Messing shared a sobering thread from attorney and pulmonary embolism survivor Susan Henessey with the hashtag #socialdistancing.
