WARNING: This story contains explicit language.
Days after Cardi B took to Instagram to talk about a possible celebrity coronavirus conspiracy theory, the Bodak Yellow rapper returned to call out the inequalities among those who are permitted tests for COVID-19.
Cardi B posted the Instagram TV video to her page in which she wears a surgical mask to cover her face and sunglasses, captioning it, “I said what I said.”
“The coronavirus is very much real,” the 27-year-old rapper said.
Cardi B addressed the confusion and frustration that many people have towards the mixed messages around the novel coronavirus. She also spoke about U.S. President Donald Trump and celebrities who are getting tested for the illness with few to no symptoms.
“But If a celebrity is saying, ‘Hey listen, I don’t have no symptoms, I’m feeling good, I feel healthy, I don’t feel like nothing, but I went and got tested and I’m positive for the coronavirus,’ that causes confusion.
“If you’re positive for the coronavirus but you don’t have a crazy fever but you have a cold, and you’re sending people home. Where do you think you’re sending people home to? Not everyone has the luxury to go to a f–king bedroom and to a big ass house and just stay away from people,” the I Do rapper said.
“A lot of people live in small-ass apartments with multiple people. If you’re sending me home and I have the coronaf–kingvirus I’m most likely going to give it to my spouse, my kids, anybody that’s around me.”
The I Like It rapper also spoke about people under 30 years old who have to wait eight days to get tested if they have a cold.
“If you’re under 30… if your cold is not for eight days you cannot get tested. So you got to be sick for eight days if you’re under 30 so you can be eligible for getting a f–king coronavirus test. Now if you’re in your 40s, 50s, 60s and you’re having a cold they are going to test you right away, however your test results will come in four days.”
Cardi B said celebrities have the money to pay to get the tests done but “a lot of people don’t f–king have that money.”
“Some people don’t even have enough money to f–king afford health care. And I feel like all this s–t for coronavirus treatments, for testing, for all that s–t, I feel like the government should take that s–t and charge it to the game and not charge people for it,” the Be Careful rapper said.
“At the end of the day, this s–t could have been prevented when they found out about this s–t a couple of months ago and the s–t that was going on in China.
“This is y’all fault it got in this motherf–king country,” Cardi B said to the U.S. government.
(Warning: The video below contains explicit language.)
Idris Elba has responded to the “stupid” conspiracy theory that he and other celebrities are being paid to say they have the new coronavirus.
Elba, who revealed he tested positive for the illness earlier this month, spoke about the conspiracy theory on Instagram Live after Cardi B’s initial comments about the U.S. government allowing asymptomatic famous people to access tests, while others with symptoms had to wait up to a week to even apply.
“I think the debate about rich and poor and who’s getting it and who’s not, I think, is not a healthy debate,” Elba said on Instagram Live. “It’s like, I got a test but I also got COVID. Does that make me preferential? I don’t understand that.”
“I think that the negativity around test-shaming is counterproductive. I don’t see what people get out of that. And also this idea that someone like myself is gonna be paid to say I’ve got coronavirus? That’s absolute bullsh-t.
In Cardi B’s previous Instagram Live, she said celebrities who say they’ve tested positive for the novel coronavirus without symptoms sound like they are in a “Flat Tummy Tea commercial,” which is a detox tea that influencers are paid to promote on social media.
“I’m starting to feel like y’all n—as is paying n—as to say that they got it,” she said in a recent Instagram Live video. “If y’all are paying n—as to say that they got it, pay me too.”
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.