Why are UK influencers travelling in a pandemic?

As the UK buckles under the weight of the new COVID-19 variant, influencers are ‘working abroad’ and posting photos from the Caribbean and Dubai. It’s time to unfollow them.

We’re barely into 2021 and I’m fed up of it already. I bet you are too, aren’t you? Lockdown 3 has dragged on, even though it only started one week ago, but frankly my life hasn’t changed. I’ve been working from home since March 2020, haven’t seen my family since July and go grocery shopping once a week.

And yet… my Instagram feed is full of influencers on the beach! Or worse, they’re posting photos taken in the UK and pretending like they aren’t at the pool in a much warmer and sunny country.

But, why? The pandemic isn’t over. We’re now at its worst point as the mutated strain, which is up to 70% more transmissible,¹ (aka easier to catch and become infected with), sweeps through the country.

As a health blogger who looks at the latest wellness trends, let’s look at this downright abominable one.

Just because it’s legal, doesn’t mean it’s right

One thing that I’ve seen, again and again, is the excuse of “it’s still legal to travel”. Yes, it is currently still legal to travel abroad, but that doesn’t make it a right and moral decision.

Influencers, celebrities and the rich in general have the ability to pay for private rapid tests, but a negative test one day doesn’t mean that you’ll stay negative and COVID-free forever. As we know, the viral incubation takes around 5 days but can stretch to 14,² so the possibility of arriving at your destination and then testing positive is a possibility.

It means that by travelling, you’re putting airport, flight staff and fellow passengers at risk (unless you take a private jet, so won’t have to mingle with anyone else). It’s reckless. It’s dangerous.

Influencers aren’t providing hope, they’re stoking anger

Sitting on a sandy beach with a cocktail does sound pretty dreamy right now, but to see people flaunting their privilege makes me quite mad.

We’ve got frontline staff who are being pushed to their physical and mental limits on ICU wards, children going hungry with insultingly bad food parcels and small businesses folding.

When this is happening, the least they could do is stay at home like the rest of us. Better yet, they could use their wealth for actual good and donate to local charities and food banks.

Hit them where it hurts and unfollow

I’ve had to do a social media purge of influencers, as I’m fed up of seeing them on beaches or posting long apologetic captions about how they thought they were ‘being perfectly safe and following guidelines’.

Frankly, I’m not really sure why I followed them in the first place. I think I watched a few too many episodes of Made in Chelsea.

Influencers earn their money and use it to break the rules because they’re followed and interacted with. So stop following them, stop using their discount codes and stop buying their cheap fast fashion collections.

In fact, substitute them with some positive influencers. You’ll feel much better as you scroll through your feed.

Thanks for reading! Sign up to Pandora’s Health for even more advice, tips and tricks about the latest trends.References:

References:

1. COVID-19: What have we learned about the new variant in the UK? The BMJ. Available at: https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4944. Accessed January 2021.
2. McAloon C, et al. BMJ Open. 2020;10:e039652. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2020-039652.