This got our attention. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) are in full agreement on Twitter. The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. has plenty of people panicked, but one consistent piece of advice from physicians, health experts, and legislators is the urgent guideline to stay home. AOC tweeted that message out over the weekend, and it got her sparring partner's seal of approval.
To everyone in NYC but ESPECIALLY healthy people & people under 40 (bc from what I’m observing that’s who needs to hear this again):
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 14, 2020
PLEASE stop crowding bars, restaurants, and public spaces right now. Eat your meals at home.
If you are healthy, you could be spreading COVID.
Sen. Cruz grabbed her tweet and added, "Good advice — not just for NYC, but everywhere. If you can stay home, stay home. And wash your hands."
And the Twitterverse was stunned.
Folks, if @AOC and @tedcruz agree on something, we should listen. pic.twitter.com/yFcfG1yQqv
— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) March 15, 2020
Good on Cruz and AOC for finding common ground during this alarming season. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to practice social distancing in these next two weeks as the coronavirus continues to run its course and it's a good sign that #socialdistancingnow is one of the top trends on Twitter. Although some may prefer the similar trend, #StaytheFHome. Sen. Cruz took his own advice and has extended his self-quarantine after learning he came into contact with two people who had contracted the virus.
For more information on why keeping our distance right now is so imperative, you may want to read Medium's helpful piece on the subject, "Social Distancing: This Is Not a Snow Day."
Yet, as was made clear this weekend, many young people are not taking this bipartisan advice. Bars and restaurants, at least here in Washington, D.C., were still teeming with customers both Friday and Saturday nights.
14th St DC looks like a normal Friday evening right now — bars, restaurants buzzing
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) March 13, 2020
Listen to AOC and Sen. Cruz. Please find a good book and stay home.