UPDATED 3/20, 10:45 a.m. ET: On Thursday, Kylie took to her Instagram Stories to continue talking about social distancing and self-quarantining, directly responding to the Surgeon General’s comments.
“I listened to the Surgeon General this morning, and, you know, even though I’ve already been doing my daily reminders, he definitely encouraged me to come on here and talk to you guys so you can see me and hear me,” Jenner said.
She continued to go on at length about statistics, dangers, and making smart decisions. “And I encourage other influencers to also speak out, and encourage my followers to also self-quarantine.”
See original story below.
Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams is calling on Kylie Jenner and other influencers to urge young people to practice social distancing in order to help fight the spread of coronavirus.
“We need to get our social media influencers out there in helping folks understand that this is serious. This is absolutely serious. People are dying,” Adams said on Good Morning America on Thursday.
Adams said that influencers can help young people understand the risks associated with the virus. He said that many people have been going on spring break vacations, instead of quarantining themselves at home.
“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,” Adams said. “What I really think we need to do…is get our influencers out. We need to get Kylie Jenner.”
Pointing to new evidence from Italy, Adams added, “Young people may be at higher risk than we previously thought.”
Kylie has been contributing. Over the last week, the 22-year-old has posted about what measures she’s taken during the pandemic.
“I hope everyone is feeling well! It’s so important right now to self quarantine to ensure we aren’t endangering ourselves or anyone who can’t handle this virus,” she tweeted.
Jenner is also actively reminding her fans to isolate themselves on her Instagram Stories. On Thursday, she wrote, “Another daily reminder to take this social distancing serious and self quarantine.” She shared a photo of doctors holding signs that read, “We stay here for you. Please stay home for us.”
Kylie posted that she’s been self-quarantining for eight days, and that her pregnancy several years ago “prepared” her for this, adding that she “didn’t leave the house for months.”
Some people are shocked that the Surgeon General is asking for the help of influencers.
Kim Kardashian has been encouraging followers to self-isolate. She posted a photo of her and Khloé Kardashian, writing, “[I] miss my sisters, but we are all social distancing and staying away from each other, all separately quarantined.” She added, “It’s hard, but we have to do this for our safety and for everyone else’s. Please do not ignore the severity of the warnings to stay inside to stop the spread of the virus.”
The Surgeon General also touched on Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell’s respective situations, both of whom tested positive for COVID-19. Mitchell has been sharing reminders to his followers to practice social distancing.
