New Brunswick — A Saint John woman is upset more isn’t being done to stop the spread of COVID-19 after learning she wasn’t the only person who wanted to spend time at the beach last weekend.
Carla McKinnon said she desperately wanted to get out of the house for some fresh ocean air after spending the last two weeks working from home. So when temperatures climbed into the double digits on Saturday, she packed her kids into the family minivan and headed for New River Beach.
Her excitement soon turned to disappointment, however, when she arrived to find dozens of cars lined up bumper to bumper.
“To be quite frank, I was just mad that so many other people thought of my great idea before I did.”
Thinking on her feet, she recorded a very sanctimonious Facebook Live video where she berated the other beachgoers for flaunting social distancing recommendations.
“All these idiots are ruining it for everyone else,” she was overheard saying. “When are people going to get the message about social distancing and STAYING THE HELL HOME?”
By Sunday, McKinnon’s video had been viewed and shared more than 5,000 times by other people looking to cash in some social media points. McKinnon, a self-described social media aficionado, says she knows why her video struck a chord.
“Virtue signalling and selective outrage is very hot right now,” she told The Manatee. “You can use that to really score a lot of social media points, and let’s face it — it aligns with the online identity I’ve been crafting for the last several years.”
Thanks to McKinnon’s video, news of Saturday’s little beach party found its way back to the premier’s office and suffice it to say, Mr. Higgs was not impressed.
“All parks are closed until further notice. We are going to start enforcing the rules. Yes, I know last week we told people it was important to stay active and to get outside. We just didn’t mean like that.”
Photo is from Lara604 and XeresNelro on Wikimedia Commons