Rush, Blink-182 Musicians Detail Self-Quarantine Due to Coronavirus
As rock artists begin self-quarantining with their families this week amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, some are sharing their stories. Those include Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus.
The musicians' measures come after President Trump declared a national emergency in the United States on March 13 in response to the global health crisis, as The New York Times reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged a halt to all gatherings of 50 or more people, which The Washington Post noted. And places such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington state have put a stop to patrons dining out.
See how Lifeson and Hoppus are responding down toward the bottom of this post.
In every locale, authorities are urging people to practice social distancing and attempt a self-quarantine to slow the spread of the pandemic. Meanwhile, the outbreak has already walloped the music world. Last week, promoters such as 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 set aside 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 grandkids. "We are all self quarantining for 14 days," he added. "All travelers should. Looking forward to getting caught up on Netflix! Send your top viewing suggestions."
The same day, Hoppus announced, "My family and I are hunkered down in our house for the next week. We are self-quarantining and canceled all people coming to the house, all meetings and events. No one in, no one out. We have another family that we're friends with who are doing the same."
The Blink-182 member continued, "If after this week no one shows any symptoms, we will start hanging out again. We have enough groceries to last a while but have not hoarded or stockpiled beyond what we need."
The current pandemic involves the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, after health authorities first encountered it in China late last year.
Alex Lifeson, Rush
Mark Hoppus, Blink-182
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