Surgeon General Asks Kevin Durant, Kylie Jenner For Help Getting Young People To Take Coronavirus Seriously
One of the biggest issues with stopping the spread of coronavirus is getting young people to take the threat seriously. After spring breakers flooded the beaches of Clearwater, Florida this week, paying no heed to federal pleas for social distancing and self-quarantine, United States Surgeon General Jerome Adams appeared on Good Morning America to talk about how his department could get through to millennials. He wants to enlist celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Kevin Durant to help spread the message.
“I have a 15 and a 14-year-old and the more I tell them not to do something the more they want to do it,” he explained to co-host Michael Strahan. “We need to get our influencers — Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell — we need to get Kylie Jenner, and our social media influencers out there helping folks understand that this is serious, this is absolutely serious, people are dying,” he said.
Watch Dr. Adams on Good Morning America, below:
Kylie and Kevin are not random choices: Durant, of course, announced this week that he tested positive for coronavirus. While he's currently not symptomatic, he likely understands the risks of close contact at this time. Kylie, on the other hand, hasn't contracted the virus as far as we know, but went through a self-imposed social distancing phase when she was pregnant with her daughter Stormi. The reality star and makeup mogul recently shared that she didn't leave her house for months when she was expecting, and she loved it.
The 22-year-old Kylie Cosmetics founder announced on her Instagram stories that she’s isolating herself, noting, “i’m on day 8. my pregnancy prepared me for this. i didn’t leave the house for months.”
In fact, Jenner is doing even more to reach her followers:
Durant, meanwhile, shared an update on his health with his fans, along with a message: “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We’re going to get through this,” Durant told the Athletic, adding that he is feeling fine.
As of Thursday afternoon, at least 149 deaths in the country have been attributed to COVID-19, the New York Times reported, with more than 10,000 people testing positive.
As the pandemic continues to spread at alarming rates and the death toll rises, hopefully more celebs will step up and use their platforms to keep the rest of the population well-informed.
For the latest on the coronavirus, contact your local health department and visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
