Around the world, the spread of coronavirus has brought out the best in people, who’ve rushed to offer help to neighbors, the needy, and the elderly, offered words of support and encouragement, and found novel ways to entertain others on the internet.
But it’s also brought out the worst in people. In the US and in Europe, selfish shoppers are panic buying things like toilet paper and hand sanitizer, stock piling far more than they need and even attempting to sell it at a profit. Meanwhile, others are misbehaving in different ways, refusing to take the threat seriously and ignoring social distancing protocols.
Now, users of the crowd-sourcing definition website Urban Dictionary have coined a name for such people: Covidiots.
Selfish: The spread of coronavirus has brought out the worst in some people — and now social media users have come up with a name to describe the badly behaved people
Do you really need that, sir? A ‘covitiot’ is someone who hoards goods like toilet paper — like this man, who appears to have bought four packs of 30 rolls, or 120 rolls in all
Two ways: Another definition is someone who ‘ignores the warnings regarding public health or safety
Going viral: A few popular definitions have been posted on the site and shared on social media
Several Urban Dictionary users have shared definitions by far. The current favorite, with the most thumbs-up votes, offers two uses: ‘Someone who ignores the warnings regarding public health or safety,’ and ‘A person who hoards goods, denying them from their neighbors.’
Usage examples include, ‘Did you see that covidiot with 300 rolls of toilet paper in his basket?’ and ‘That covidiot is hugging everyone she sees.’
Another popular definition explains that a covidiot is:
1. A stupid person who stubbornly ignores ‘social distancing’ protocol, thus helping to further spread Covid-19.
2. A stupic person who hoards groceries needlessly spreading Covid-19 fears and depriving others of vital supplies.
Used in a sentence, someone could say, ‘Are you seriously going to visit grandma? Dude, don’t be such a covidiot,’ or ‘See that guy with the 200 toilet paper rolls? What a covidiot.’
Word of the year: Twitter users are warning others not to behave that way and sharing examples of real-life covidiots
The term is quickly catching on, with Twitter users sharing screengrabs of the definition and warning others not to behave that way.
‘The weather may be nice. But don’t be a #COVIDIOT. Stay isolated. Stay safe. Reduce the infection. Save lives,’ wrote one.
‘Raise your hand if you’re dealing with a #COVIDIOT in your life,’ complained another.
Some are even suggesting that it could be added to the Oxford English Dictionary as 2020’s word of the year.
Others are sharing examples of covidiots, citing people they’ve spotted in real life filing shopping carts with toilet paper or Facebook friends spreading misinformation.
Several are pointing to politicians, with many giving the president the title — or assigning it to Senator Rand Paul, who tested positive for COVID-19 and exposed countless others to it.
‘Rand Paul, while awaiting test results, used the Senate gym and pool,’ wrote Georgia congressional candidate Nabilah Islam, adding the hashtag #covidiot.
Several stories of people ignoring social distancing or stocking goods like toilet paper have made headlines in recent weeks.
This weekend, a viral video showed a woman who had cleared out a local Dollar Tree of all of its toilet paper.
Another shopper who was shocked by the woman’s greed filmed her loading the boxes of toilet paper into her truck, narrating what she was doing.
She said that when the toilet paper hoarder first noticed the other shopper checking out her stash, she got nasty and rude — and the hoarder continue to behave defiantly, as other shoppers watched on and called out her greedy actions.
The woman, who proclaimed that she was a Donald Trump supporter, also indicated she had a right to buy it all since the store sold it to her.
Rules don’t apply to them! On New York City’s Staten Island, Irene Sanzone and John Fuchs, Jr. got married at Our Lady of Pity Catholic Church on Sunday
Who cares? Gen Z partiers are still taking spring break trips to Florida
Meanwhile, others are still flouting social distancing mandates.
On New York City’s Staten Island, Irene Sanzone and John Fuchs, Jr. got married at Our Lady of Pity Catholic Church on Sunday.
According to the New York Post, there were 20 to 25 guests, several of whom were elderly.
Joseph Zwilling, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of New York, slammed the ceremony for violating its guidelines and said the couple should not have gone through with it at this time.
And in Florida, spring breakers are still seen partying, meeting in large groups on boats in Boca Raton.
‘While Lake Boca Raton has always served as a social gathering spot for many boaters, and will again, now is not the time for parties and tie ups on the water,’ Boca Raton authorities said.
While the ages of the revelers is unconfirmed, college students are typically those who go on spring break trips, and are members of Generation Z.