As Best Coast, Bethany Cosentino makes sunny-sounding indie rock that packs a deep punch when it comes to sharing her feelings and emotional outlook.
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She's good at getting personal — and yesterday, she took to her Instagram to post a story about why wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic is so important.
"So, two weeks ago, both of my grandparents tested positive for COVID," she stated. (As you can see from the screenshot below, they're okay now.)
She explained that, before their diagnosis, Bethany's mother brought over some supplies while they were feeling sick. "My grandparents very rarely leave the house, so everyone just thought, 'They must just have a normal cold. How would they [get] COVID?'"
Even though her grandparents were good about isolating and mask-wearing, Cosentino hypothesized that they likely got it because they live in Nebraska, where there's currently no mask mandate: "So when they do go out, they're around people who don't have masks on."
When her mother stopped by, she was a foot away from Bethany's grandmother, who was "coughing, hacking, super germy" — but her mother was wearing a medical mask, as well as a cotton mask over it.
After Bethany's grandparents tested positive, her mother got tested and immediately entered a 14-day quarantine: "She was scared. I was scared."
Her mother eventually tested negative twice for COVID-19, and Cosentino has a pretty solid idea as to why: "Because she had a fucking mask on."
So Cosentino is urging people to stop "politicizing" mask-wearing, for all of our own good. "I truly, truly know that they save lives."
Cosentino also reinforced some important tips to avoid contracting and spreading COVID-19: take others' symptoms seriously, as well as your own — and if you are exhibiting symptoms, don't half-ass it on the quarantine front.
Cosentino reposted a shortened version of her story on Twitter, too — because, y'know, when it comes to this stuff, it's good to spread the word.
went on an IG story rant last night and now I’m gonna do it here ... two weeks ago both of my elderly grandparents tested positive for covid (they’re doing ok now we are very happy) they rarely ever leave the house so no one suspected they had covid and assumed it was a cold ...
Good looking out, Bethany.
