Diet Prada has turned its attention to celebrities and influencers who are 'flaunting... privilege on social media' during the global crisis surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. In an initial Instagram post, DP compared the story of people in the US who are being denied tests for the virus with the American blogger and influencer Arielle Charnas, who live streamed her own coronavirus test via Instagram Stories. Charnas has since tested positive for Covid-19, prompting Diet Prada to publish the following:
'Covid-19 doesn't need 'influencer' faces,' DP wrote. 'We're reading about people dying from this everyday. What's the point of showing/normalising the testing process if it's not available or affordable for so many people?'
In a second post, DP included a series of news clippings and tweets concerning the celebrities who have been tested, and who have been sharing their diagnoses on social media. The caption reads: 'What privilege looks like [PART 2] • Just stay at home, people.'
It seems that every day brings more bad news regarding coronavirus and its global impact. There are reports that London could be on 'lockdown' from the weekend, while the rest of the UK is facing school closures, financial uncertainty and, of course, a lot of anxiety over the health of friends and family. Many questions have been raised over testing for Covid-19, too. Governments have been largely unprepared and, therefore, overwhelmed, leaving thousands of patients who fear they may be suffering from the virus untested.
The UK, for example, has tested only around 50,000 people in a country of 67 million, according to the Financial Times. The US, with a population of 330 million, has tested only 32,000. These figures document public tests, not taking into account those with the means to be tested privately.
With daily press conferences from Boris Johnson now the norm, we can only wait to see what further measures are implemented by the government.