Robert De Niro ordered New Yorkers to stay home in a video released this week as part of a celebrity campaign to promote public compliance with a statewide coronavirus lockdown, but not everyone took kindly to the message.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recruited various well-known Hollywood celebrities for the #NewYorkStateStrongerTogether public service announcement series.
https://twitter.com/LilyBlsnbelles/status/1241928891276525568?s=20
Cuomo posted the video messages to Twitter on Monday.
“Hello, this is Robert De Niro. We all need to stay home,” De Niro, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, said in the 24-second clip.
“We need to stop the spread of this virus and we can only do it together. Not just to protect ourselves but to protect others and all the older people you love. Please… I’m watching you.”
The reception to De Niro’s message was mixed on social media.
of course, staying inside is a privilege that most of the people can't afford… but I think this is more directed to those that don't give a fuck and they are partying on the beaches, gathering in large groups for no reason with zero consideration of others
— Marina (Josh Hartnett's renaissance) (@sansitark) March 23, 2020
Some commenters appeared to resent being told what to do by a “Hollywood elitist.”
“Stop with the Hollywood folks telling us what to do,” tweeted one user.
Others were even more blunt.
“F off de niro, you were at every f’N awards show in jan and feb. You couldn’t beat bea arthur in your condition, you play a tough guy in movies, but in real life you wear lifts to make yourself appear bigger,” said one Twitter user.
In recent days, the governors of at least 18 states have issued stay-at-home directives affecting about half the nation’s population. The sweeping orders are aimed at slowing the coronavirus’ spread but have upended daily life as schools and businesses shutter indefinitely.
Cuomo’s #NewYorkStateStrongerTogether campaign follows in the footsteps of other celebrity-led efforts aimed at raising public morale amid the global crisis.
Last week, Hollywood celebrities sought to rally the world against COVID-19 pandemic by coming together on video to sing a famous globalist anthem.
Nationwide, COVID-19 has infected more than 53,000 people and killed at least 720 with World Health Organization officials warning the United States could become the global epicenter of the pandemic, which broke out late last year in Wuhan, China.
Most of the New York City’s nearly 9 million inhabitants, along with the rest of the state, were under stay-at-home orders which started Sunday evening.
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More than 6,000 cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in New York City.