The COVID-19 Pandemic continues to change and take peoples’ lives. Some are taking the precautions more seriously than others.
BYU Idaho Sophomore Chelsea Fonseca posted her conversation with her roommate on Twitter. “I told my roommates I didn’t want people over because I’m at risk,” she captioned the tweet. She posted a screenshot of what her roommate said: “I am glad that you are seeking to stay safe in this pandemic. That’s very wise. However, you can’t prevent me from having people over. So, you can expect to see Brett over often 😊 and if that’s an issue for you, you can stay in your room. 6+ feet of distance will definitely keep you out of the viruses way.”
I told my roommates I didn’t want people over because I’m at risk 🙃🙃 pic.twitter.com/Fn45G41en1
— Chels (@Chels_FAC14) March 31, 2020
The Salt Lake County Health Department responded tweeting, “Brett could do his part in flattening the curve by visiting virtually! #StayHomeBrett.”
Brett could do his part in flattening the curve by visiting virtually! #StayHomeBrett
— Salt Lake Health (@SaltLakeHealth) March 31, 2020
#StayHomeBrett quickly started trending on Twitter, to the surprise of Sophomore Chelsea Fonseca.
“I only thought my friends would see it and then the Salt Lake Health Department tweeted back, along with the hashtag that everybody started using,” she said.
Fonseca said she has an autoimmune disease and hoped her roommate, who is a nursing major, would understand her concerns. “Even a simple cold for me gets me really, really sick. I am also recovering from an eating disorder so all that together just kind of puts me at risk for a lot of things and so it’s concerning at all times, especially now,” she said.
David Skorut is the Salt Lake County Health Department Multi-Media Coordinator and the man behind the tweet that has #StayHomeBrett trending.
“I just felt like maybe the validation of a government agency making a suggestion to someone like that especially a small dispute could bring some validation to a very serious message,” he said.
His effort to make one home safer worked, as Fonseca said Brett has in fact, stayed home.
“We are all in this together. I think anything we can do to kind of keep ourselves in good spirits but also at the same time kind of maintain a seriousness about the situation will be beneficial to all of us,” Skorut said.
Both Skorut and Fonseca hope this serves as a reminder to stay home and help flatten the curve.
