Ariana Grande schooled her fans on Sunday, lambasting those who continue to dismiss the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and urging vocal support for the coronavirus relief bill that is pending in the Senate.
The singer shared a series of messages on social media about the pandemic, blasting people who speak and act irresponsibly because they’re not in the high-risk group ― elderly people or those suffering from pre-existing medical conditions ― who are more likely to suffer severely or die from the disease.
“Please don’t turn a blind eye,” Grande wrote. “It is incredibly dangerous and selfish to take this situation that lightly.”
“The ‘we will be fine because we’re young’ mindset is putting people who aren’t young and/or healthy in a lot of danger. You sound stupid and privileged and you need to care more about others. Like now.”
Grande asked people to channel their “understandable” frustrations and focus on constructive measures in response to the outbreak, such as calling their senators to voice support of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
The bipartisan economic relief bill, passed by the House Saturday, would guarantee free coronavirus testing, paid leave, enhanced unemployment insurance and other measures to assist Americans during the pandemic.
After days of negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, President Donald Trump eventually endorsed the bill in a tweet late Friday night, ensuring GOP support.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) decided to keep the Senate in session this week despite a scheduled recess, and the bill is expected to pass.
As governors across the country announced closures of restaurants, bars and schools, and numerous music, sporting and cultural events were canceled, Grande also threw in a reminder to those continuing with everyday activities or complaining about being inconvenienced by social distancing measures:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced later on Sunday that they recommend a ban on all gatherings of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks because large events can fuel the spread of the disease.
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