As rock artists begin to quarantine their families this week amid the current coronavirus pandemic, some are sharing their stories. Among them are Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus.
The musicians’ moves come after President Trump declared a national emergency in the United States on March 13 in response to the global health crisis, as reported by The New York Times. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have urged stopping all gatherings of 50 or more people, according to The Washington Post. And places like New York, Los Angeles and Washington state have put an end to dining out customers.
See how Lifeson and Hoppus are responding towards the end of this post.
In each place, the authorities urge people to practice social distancing and to attempt a self-quarantine to stop the spread of the pandemic. Meanwhile, the outbreak has already hit the music world. Last week, promoters like Live Nation and AEG postponed all upcoming tours after numerous acts had already done the same. This year’s Record Store Day, scheduled for April 18, has been reserved for later in 2020.
On Sunday (March 15), Lifeson revealed via Rush’s official Twitter account that he “had just returned from spring break” with his grandchildren. “We are all in quarantine for 14 days,” he added. “All travelers should. We hope to get caught up on Netflix! Submit your best viewing suggestions.”
The same day, Hoppus announced, “My family and I are huddled in our house for the next week. We are quarantined and we cancel all the people who come to the house, all the meetings and events. No one enters, no one leaves. We have another family that we are friends with who is doing the same. ”
The Blink-182 member continued, “If after this week no one shows any symptoms, we will start dating again. We have enough food to last for a while, but we have not accumulated or accumulated more than we need.”
The current pandemic involves the worldwide spread of the new coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, after health authorities first found it in China late last year.