Editorial

Here Are Some Of The Best Responses To The Coronavirus Quarantine

(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

Katie Jerkovich Entertainment Reporter
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President Donald Trump declared March 13 that the country is in a national emergency due to coronavirus. Since that time, Americans and private companies have adapted, trying to respond in meaningful and sometimes creative ways.

Grocery store chains across the nation have opted for initiatives like senior hours, setting aside two to four hours everyday in the early morning to give senior citizens a chance to shop for their goods without too many other patrons. The measure keeps the elderly away from younger people, who could be asymptomatic and potentially expose them to the coronavirus.

Due to the increase demands for goods, many of those same stores have gone on massive hiring sprees. Smart and Final, for example, said they have given employees a pay increase of $2.25 per hour and hired more than 750 new employees, per the company website. (RELATED: LIVE UPDATES: Here’s What Every State In America Is Doing To Combat The Spread Of The Coronavirus)

Amazon announced they were hiring 100,000 workers as online sales spike amid fears of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Walmart is reportedly planning on hiring as many as 150,000 more workers.

Restaurants and pizza delivery chains like Dominos have made a massive hiring, bringing on some 10,000 new full- and part-time workers to keep up with the demands of people staying home during the pandemic, per Fox News. (RELATED: REPORT: Coachella Potentially Rescheduled To October Due To Coronavirus Fears)

A strip club owner in Portland, who was forced to close due to COVID-19, turned his business into a food delivery service with a “side of boobs.”

Club owner Shon Boulden of the Lucky Devil Lounge isn’t letting his once-out-of-work dancers lose money during the pandemic and instead has started a new delivery food service he calls “Boober Eats.”

Bouldon told The Oregonian he’s trying to keep as many of his employees working, with the kitchen staff cooking food, strippers delivering the goods to people’s doorstep and security guards driving the dancers to their delivery spots.

Fashion designers all across the country have turned their sewing machines from making outfits for celebrities to sewing surgical masks for first responders, per the Hollywood Reporter.

“We will not be selling any of these but rather giving them away to all first responders, hospitals, and healthcare providers,” Micheal Costello shared on Instagram.

 

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“Working on more donations and special editions so that my friends & followers can help support our local LA community,” designer Michael Ngo wrote. “Thank you for the love you’ve sent and I can’t wait to continue paying-forward with your help!”

 

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Universal Disney and other entertainment companies have taken to releasing theatrical movies at home either early or on the same day they were set to come out. HBO has offered free-streaming episodes amid coronavirus. (RELATED: Here’s A List Of How Every Country In The World Is Responding To Coronavirus)

Celebrities like Garth Brooks, John Legend and more, who have had to cancel or postpone shows, have taken to offering livestream concerts from their home to keep people entertained.

Late-night talk show hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, whose productions were shut down due to the emergency shelter-in-place orders, have started home editions of their shows with the help of their wives and children.

Silicone Valley giants like Apple and Facebook announced they were donating millions of masks to health care workers on the front lines fighting the pandemic.

“Our teams at Apple have been working to help source supplies for healthcare providers fighting COVID-19,” Apple CEO Time Cook shared in a tweet. “We’re donating millions of masks for health professionals in the US and Europe. To every one of the heroes on the front lines, we thank you.”

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that his company donated 720,000 masks and was “working on sourcing millions of more to donate.”

“Health workers urgently need more protective gear,” Zuckerberg explained. “To help, Facebook donated our emergency reserve of 720,000 masks that we had bought in case the wildfires continued. We’re also working on sourcing millions of more to donate. I hope you’re all staying healthy and safe!”

Companies in numerous other fields have started to respond as well. Distilleries in Kentucky, Texas and Pennsylvania have turned from primarily making high-proof alcohol to manufacturing hand sanitizer, per Wall Street Journal.

Stars like Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Rihanna and more have donated millions of dollars for relief efforts during the coronavirus outbreak.