By Lance Johnson
A Brigham Young University-Idaho student is feeling “peace of mind” after her dispute with a roommate over coronavirus precautions went viral.
“I thought it would only be seen by my friends,” said Chelsea Fonseca, the 20-year-old BYU-Idaho student behind the viral post.
After the Salt Lake County Health Department responded via Twitter, though, Fonseca found an army of online supporters. “After about a few hours I saw that the numbers kept going up,” she said.
Fonseca is immunocompromised. She has asthma, and an autoimmune disease that affects connective tissues called scleroderma. She has liver problems as a result of her autoimmune disease medication.
But when Fonseca expressed concerns about her roommate's decision to continue inviting her boyfriend over to their shared student housing apartment, the roommate's reply was unsympathetic.
“I am glad that you are seeking to stay safe in this pandemic," the roommate's message read. "That’s very wise. However, you can’t prevent me from having people over. So, you can expect to see Brett over often. :) and if that’s an issue for you, you can stay in your room. 6+ feet of distance will definitely keep you out of the viruses (sic) way.”
Fonseca, known as Twitter user @Chels_FAC14, posted a screenshot on Monday to vent.
On Tuesday, David Skorut, the multimedia coordinator at the health department, was answering questions submitted to the department’s Twitter account, @SaltLakeHealth. When made aware of Fonseca’s post, Skorut wrote, “Brett could do his part in flattening the curve by visiting virtually! #StayHomeBrett.”
A fall 2019 graduate of the University of Utah, Skorut belongs to an age group many feel isn’t taking the COVID-19 crisis seriously. He said he shares in that disappointment.
“I felt that it perfectly summarized the experiences I’ve had pleading with certain friends and family the past month,” Skorut said. “I wanted to respond to what seemed to be a shot in the dark tweet from a random person on the internet in a way that let them know someone was out there listening to them.”
That same day, Utah resident Kate Whitaker, known as @poetickate on Twitter, responded to the post from Salt Lake Health. She wrote, “We should get #StayHomeBrett trending.”
“I was upset when I saw the tweet, because the roommate’s text was so passive-aggressive and left very little room for understanding or compassion,” Whitaker said. “And I was like, well, maybe if this roommate sees how many people agree her boyfriend should stay home right now, that might change her mind.”
Soon, the hashtag #StayHomeBrett was a trending topic across Twitter.
The post had received more than 18,000 retweets and 209,000 likes as of Wednesday, and the response led to users sharing Fonseca's post across other social media platforms.
“The next day I had friends who aren’t even on Twitter messaging me on Instagram about it, and I realized it was everywhere,” Fonseca said. “I’ve received a lot of messages of people saying they’re dealing with the exact same thing.”
Fonseca is encouraged by the conversation her tweet seems to have started.
“There is a huge group of people that is speaking up about staying home, and about their own experiences being immunocompromised and being at risk,” Fonseca said. “They feel like they can speak up, and stand up for themselves and I’m glad I was able to inspire that.”
Skorut did not expect his response to spark a viral hashtag.
“I did not expect the reaction at all,” Skorut said, “but after seeing the responses, I think many people, young people included, are feeling the frustration that I do, and getting a part in the conversation with #StayHomeBrett was their way to express that.”
Fonseca is also concerned by young adults who are not taking COVID-19 seriously.
“We have other countries as examples of the catastrophe they have experienced because of COVID-19, and yet here we are treating it like it’s just another flu, which it isn’t,” Fonseca said.
She hopes her post, and accompanying hashtag, will help people realize how their choices can affect others.
“I really hope others will start taking action in helping to flatten the curve,” Fonseca said, “and that they realize that everyone is at risk of catching the virus, but not everyone will be able to survive it.”
Fonseca now has no regrets about the post.
“When I saw the tweet went viral, I felt really bad because I never intended for it to be seen by everyone,” Fonseca said. “But knowing that it’s helped raise awareness gives me some peace of mind. We are all responsible for slowing the spread, and I feel like I’m doing my part the very best I can.”
As for her roommate and the now infamous Brett, Fonseca hasn’t heard much.
“I haven’t heard from my roommate; we just aren’t speaking,” Fonseca said.
But, she noted, “I haven’t seen Brett around."
Yes, it appears that #BrettStayedHome after all.
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