If you’re on TikTok, you’ve probably seen the extremely popular trend of people posting reactions and “lip-syncing” or mouthing the words to scenes from movies and TV shows. As we near the Christmas season, reacting to the Grinch movies is a popular bit. In today’s example, an oncology nurse from Oregon lip-synced to a scene from How The Grinch Stole Christmas with her own little caption. What’s so notable about this? The caption of her now-deleted post, as reported by The Washington Post, read: “When my co-workers find out I still travel, don’t wear a mask when I’m out and let my kids have play dates.” Given that we’re in the middle of a literal global pandemic, it’s probably no surprise that this video was met with backlash.
Salem Health, the nurse’s employer, released a public statement about the video. In the statement, the hospital clarifies that the nurse has been placed on administrative leave, and stresses that “this one careless statement does not reflect the position of Salem Health or the hardworking and dedicated caregivers who work here.” Though the statement does not identify the worker, Salem Health reportedly spoke to BuzzFeed News and identified her as Ashley Grames. They also confirmed she worked in the oncology department.
As reported by the Salem Statesman Journal, as part of the hospital’s investigation, they are trying to figure out which patients and staff members have come into contact with the nurse in question.
If you’re wondering how the hospital became aware of this video, it’s seemingly due to the number of people who commented on the hospital’s social media, including its Facebook page. Though the original video has been deleted, a number of reaction videos to it have gone viral on TikTok as well.
As we know, coronavirus cases are surging. As infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci said the other day, we may even experience a “surge upon a surge” of cases in the weeks following Thanksgiving, when a disappointing number of people still traveled and joined with family in spite of the pandemic. As we head into colder months and even more holiday celebrations, it’s more important than ever to promote wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and washing our hands as basic preventative measures to stop spreading the virus.
Of course, as Daily Kos has covered, countless medical professionals are risking their lives every single day to fight the pandemic. In fact, a number of physicians and nurses have died from the virus themselves. Amid rising case numbers, now is far from the appropriate time to joke about guidelines—especially when you are in a position of relative authority, and people may take your words as a sign that it’s just fine to go maskless or travel.