Corona Katie

For up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 coronavirus, including prevention and treatment, please visit CDC.gov.

About

Corona Katie is a nickname given to Candidate For Clark County School Board of Trustees and Nevada resident Katie Williams for advocating for ignoring social distancing advice by tweeting about eating dinner at a crowded Red Robin. The nickname turned into a trending hashtag and slang for anyone who ignores social distancing and isolation suggestions due to the Coronavirus Outbreak.

Origin

On March 14th, 2020, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, "To everyone in NYC but ESPECIALLY healthy people & people under 40 (bc from what I’m observing that’s who needs to hear this again):PLEASE stop crowding bars, restaurants, and public spaces right now. Eat your meals at home. If you are healthy, you could be spreading COVID" to which Twitter user @realkatiejow^[1] responded "I just went to a crowded Red Robin and I'm 30.It was delicious, and I took my sweet time eating my meal. Because this is America. And I'll do what I want" (shown below). The response received over 21,500 likes and 2,600 retweets in two days.

Spread

On March 14th, 2020, Twitter user @realkatiejow^[2] continued to tweet about the coronavirus saying, "The media wants you to freak out. Don't let them dictate your life.#COVIDー19" (shown below, left). The tweet gained over 2,000 likes in two days. That same day, Twitter user @oraymw^[3] tweeted, "@ChrisAGarvey Hey Ms Garvey. I'm not sure, but it appears that Katie Williams is running for your seat on the Board of Trustees, and I thought you might like to see her tweets regarding the Coronavirus" (shown below, right). The tweet accumulated over 1,600 likes and 530 retweets in two days.

That night, Twitter user @TellTried^[4] shared a GIF of a hamburger with the caption, "Red Robin: Burgers Worth Killing Grandma For 😔 #CoronaKatie." The tweet garnered over 930 likes in two days (shown below, left). The next day, Twitter users continued to condemn Williams sentiments toward the virus and spread the hashtag #CornaKatie. Twitter user @kurteichenwald^[5] tweeted, "I m highlighting @realkatiejow since shes running for office & showing the sociopathy & ignorance that endangers so many. COVID-19 has killed almost 6,000 people so far, & she thinks limiting possibility of others deaths is about her “freedom.” Idiot politicians need to be shamed" (shown below, right). The tweet received over 600 likes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References