Coronavirus does not discriminate
Race, gender and social status mean nothing when affected with Covid-19 - but celebs are using their platform to promote safety, and looking for ways to recover the money they would have made from gigs.
Idris Elba.
So far A-listers Tom Hanks and Idris Elba confirmed they were tested positive for Covid-19. As the virus is causing pandemonium globally, many are cooped up at home looking at what their favourite celebs are up to. And for once, social media is helping.
One of the biggest stars in self-quarantine right now is Lady Gaga. She shared the following on Instagram and Twitter.
“So I talked to some doctors and scientists. It’s not the easiest for everyone right now but the kindest/healthiest thing we can do is self-quarantine and not hang out with people over 65 and in large groups. I wish I could see my parents and grandmas right now but it’s much safer to not so I don’t get them sick in case I have it. I’m hanging at home with my dogs. I love you, world, we’ll all get through this. Trust me, I talked to God — she said we’re gonna be ok.”
Other stars that have taken to social distancing so far include Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Sophie Turner, Michelle Pfeiffer, April Love Geary, Christina Anstead, Charles Barkley and The View panellist Joy Behar.
Action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger also share an adorable video from his farm in California – were he is also taking part in social distancing.
He tweeted yesterday: “Stay at home as much as possible. Listen to the experts, ignore the morons (foreheads). We will get through this together.”
Stay at home as much as possible. Listen to the experts, ignore the morons (foreheads). We will get through this together. pic.twitter.com/FRg41QehuB
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 16, 2020
Locally popular Afrikaans rock band Fokofpolisiekar shared that they would postpone three performances this month.
“The #coronovirus ban on events naturally f**k up or show plans. But it is important that you and all your loved ones and fellow humans stay safe and healthy. We want to encourage everyone to stay as safe as you can, and educate yourself about everything you can do to limit the spread of this virus. For more information check https://sacoronavirus.co.za/
Taking a more peppy step, the Ndlovu Youth Choir released a song to South Africans about the virus and promoting safety to all citizens.
“There are already many dangerous myths and misunderstandings about the Coronavirus/COVID-19. We would like to assist by sharing a short video where we explain some basic guidelines,” the choir tweeted on March 11.
Today they followed up with another tweet proclaiming their support for the president, and again promoting basic guidelines for fellow citizens.
We have added subtitles for our friends who are not fluent in isiZulu! https://t.co/qew1xr4S8Z pic.twitter.com/bwgLSp8fR1
— Ndlovu Youth Choir (@ChoirAfrica) March 11, 2020
ALSO WATCH: ‘You never know,’ says Somizi as he tests for coronavirus
But one musician is offering advice. David Scott, better known as The Kiffness, banked R250,000 in royalties from companies like Samro, Sampra, RiSA and Capasso.
He penned a piece on his website for fellow musicians to get money owed to them in November.
Yesterday Scott reiterated that musicians facing less bookings need to start taking record companies to task to receive money owed to them.
“SA musicians, if there was ever a time to sort out your royalty admin, it’s now. Since I wrote this article in November last year, I have personally managed to claim back over R250K worth of royalties, money that otherwise would’ve been lost if I didn’t know any better.
“I’m deliberately disclosing this amount to show that even someone like me, who hasn’t even received thaaaat much radio play, can make a decent amount of money from this stuff with the right knowledge and tools.
“With this money, I’ve now luckily got a bit of a buffer to ride out this dry spell of shows while this virus does its thing. I’m glad to report that I’ve received countless feedback from other musicians who have found it helpful and they too have been able to claim back royalties after reading what I wrote.
“More than ever, having a revenue stream that’s separate to performing can really help take strain off your finances. If you’ve had active music (even if you were a session musician on a song that’s been active), but you’ve never claimed any royalties for it, I cannot urge this enough: read this article I’ve written. There’s no ulterior motives and no catches. I genuinely just want to share what I’ve learned over the years, and save my fellow musicians the trouble of finding things out the hard way.
“I know how tough it can be and more than anything I really just don’t want to see any of my fellow musicians in the industry suffer during this time. Trust me, if you can get this right, the juice is worth the squeeze. I’ve updated the article last night and I’m confident that it will be even more helpful than it was before. Stay safe out there guys,” he said.
New media influencers are also using their vast online followings to spread a message of working from home. Yesterday, the Try Guys uploaded a nearly 19-minute video where they shared advice and confirmed that they will be creating vlogs from their separate homes.
So for only a handful of well known public figures tested positive for the virus. The list includes:
ACTORS
* Tom Hanks
* Rita Wilson
* Idris Elba
* Kristofer Hivju
* Olga Kurylenko
POLITICIANS
* UK health minister Nadine Dorries
* Miami Mayor Francis Suarez
* Spanish Minister of Equality Irene Montero
* French Minister of Culture Franck Riester
* Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
* Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri
* Catalan regional leader Quim Torra
* Catalan deputy head of government Pere Aragonés
* Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez
* Australian Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton
* Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar
* Iranian Parliament members Mojtaba Zolnour and Mahmoud Sadeghi
* Iranian deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi
* Morteza Rahmanzadeh, mayor of Tehran’s 13th district
* Mohamad Reza Ghadir, Iranian head of coronavirus management in Qom
* Iranian diplomat Hadi Khosroshahi, as well as Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi both died after testing positive
* Fabio Wajngarten, the Brazilian president’s press secretary
SPORT STARS
* Real Madrid power forward Trey Thompkins
* Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
* Chelsea winger Callum-Hudson-Odoi
* Troyes AC striker Hyun-Jun Suk
* Hannover defender Timo Hübers
* Paderborn defender Luca Kilian
* Valencia defenders Ezequiel Garay and Eliaquim Mangala
* Three anonymous Valencia players
* From Italian soccer club UC Sampdoria: Albin Ekdal, Antonino La Gumina, Fabio Depaoli, Manolo Gabbiadini, Morten Thorsby, Omar Colley
* From Italy’s Fiorentina: Dušan Vlahović, Germán Pezzella, Patrick CutroneJuventus defender Daniele Rugani
* Swiss Football Association President Dominique BlancNottingham Forest and Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis
* Colombian cyclist Fernando Gaviria
* Russian cyclist Dmitry Strakhov
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
