As different parts of the world engage in social distancing, lockdowns, isolations and quarantines, the number of ‘stay at home’ challenges on the Internet has been on the rise.
One of the more interesting ones is #IStayHomeFor, spearheaded by actor Kevin Bacon in a video posted on his Twitter page on March 18. “Hey, everybody, now it’s so important to STAY HOME and keep our distance from others. Join me and post a video or photo with a sign like this [pictured above], with #IStayHomeFor, telling who you are staying home for, and tag six friends. Let’s work together to stay home and keep each other safe.”
The goal here is to get people to help stem the spread of the Coronavirus by self-isolating and maintaining social distance. He explains in the video, “The contact you make with someone who makes contact with someone else: that may be what makes somebody’s mom, grandpa or wife sick. Everyone of us has someone who is worth staying home for.”
Ripple effect
Elton John shares he stays home for his family
Celebrities including Emma Watson, Demi Lovato, Elton John, David Beckham, Mariska Hargitay, Amanda Seyfried and Bebe Rexha are sharing on social media who they are staying home for to in an effort to keep everyone safe and healthy. On Instagram alone, the hashtag has more than 15,000 posts in different languages from around the world.
Majority of these posts feature people stating they are staying home for someone in their family with already weakened immunities. Paula Abdul’s post showed her staying at home “for all the people with compromised immune system.” Michelle Pfeiffer shared she is staying at home for her sister, “She is young and fit but has compromised lungs.” Millie Bobby Brown added she is staying at home for her grandmother, “She protected me my whole life, now it’s time for me to protect her.”
