Ariana Grande has called out “dangerous and selfish” fans who have refused to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously.
The pop star wrote on her social media that she has seen many people acting as if nothing is out of the ordinary.
“I keep hearing a surprising amount of people [make] statements like, ‘This isn’t a big deal’ / ‘We’ll be fine’ / ‘We still have to go about our daily lives’ and it’s really blowing my mind,” Grande wrote.
She continued: “I understand if that is how you felt weeks ago, but please read about what’s going on please don’t turn a blind eye.
“It is incredibly dangerous and selfish to take this situation that lightly, the ‘We will be fine because we’re young’ mindset is putting people who aren’t young and / or healthy in a lot of danger.
“You sound stupid and privileged and you need to care more about others. Like now.”
She was joined in her statements by Taylor Swift, who urged her own fans to self-isolate. Like Grande, Swift wrote on her social media that she had grown concerned over ambivalence among her fandom.
“Guys, I follow you online and I love you guys so much and need to express my concern that things aren’t being taken seriously enough right now,” Swift wrote.
She continued: “I’m seeing lots of get-togethers and hangs and parties still happening. This is the time to cancel plans, actually truly isolate as much as you can, and don’t assume that because you don’t feel sick that you aren’t possibly passing something on to someone elderly or vulnerable to this.
“It’s a really scary time but we need to make social sacrifices right now.”
A number of music events have been cancelled or delayed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, while film and television production has gone into lockdown around the world.
