Andrew Cuomo’s Latest Weapon in the Fight to Keep People Home? An Instagram Hashtag
As Americans are being urged to stay at home to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, New York governor Andrew Cuomo has taken to Instagram to offer a little extra encouragement.
New York has been particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the state holding more confirmed coronavirus cases than Italy or Spain. Now, Cuomo—who has emerged as an unlikely leader in the face of President Donald Trump’s inaction—is urging residents of his state to use the Instagram hashtag #NewYorkTough, as well as #IStayHomeFor.
“I want to protect my mother, Matilda Cuomo,” Cuomo wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of the mother-son duo in more carefree times. He also tagged Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, among others, to take part in the #IStayHomeFor challenge, which encourages users to share the people they are aiming to protect by employing social distancing measures.
Lopez accepted Cuomo’s challenge, posting a video of herself and Rodriguez on Instagram and writing that they are staying home for “those on the front lines—the doctors, nurses, and technicians that are working so hard to keep everyone safe.” In turn, Lopez tagged Jimmy Fallon, who has not yet responded (although given how active he and his whole family have been during this crisis, it’s hard to imagine he’ll stay silent for long).
Instagram is just one of the routes Cuomo is pursuing to keep New Yorkers off the streets: He’s also raised fines for not following the executive order to practice social distancing from $500 to $1,000, saying, “Nobody wants the money, we want the compliance.”
Originally Appeared on Vogue
