Coronavirus: Alec Baldwin urges people to document unprecedented time 'so when this is over, we will remember'
Alec Baldwin will be documenting this unprecedented time in history — and thinks others should too.
The actor, 61, shared some thoughts about the coronavirus pandemic while quarantining with his wife, Hilaria, and their four children at their home in his native Long Island, N.Y., which has seen some 8,000 COVID-19 cases.
Appearing quarantine casual with wild hair (“gonna start self-cutting my hair”) and a prominent red mark on the center of his forehead (“my son hit me with a stick”), he talked about the current climate, saying, “There are going to be horrible consequences of this as it is in terms of death and sickness. The economic toll is going to be almost unprecedented. It’s going to be incalculable. But it will only get worse if we don’t try to address this right way.”
So Baldwin went on to offer his “rule of three,” quipping “three” because he can only remember that many at a time. One is, if you are a parent, not to transmit stress and tension to your kids if you can avoid it, saying, “We try to do that.” (He and Hilaria detailed that more here in a chat with Howard Stern.)
Two is to follow CDC and WHO protocols with hand-washing, social distance and the like.
The last, he offered, is to “journal” and record “how you feel.” Baldwin said it doesn’t matter how you do it — old school writing, recording yourself with a camera or making audio files on your phone — but talk about your experience as this plays out, whether you’re at an essential worker on the front lines or at home unable to go anywhere.
“Make a journal in whatever fashion” detailing “what we’re going through ... so when this is over, we will remember..We will remember what this was like and what the lessons were and how this can leverage some change,” said Baldwin, who portrays President Trump on Saturday Night Live, one in a long list of shows that halted production because of the pandemic.
Baldwin by calling attention to the abrasion on his forehead, saying, “My son hit me in the head with a stick yesterday.” He paused then added with a smile, “And it was magical,” clearly enjoying being home with his children 24/7 — as chaotic as it can be. (Baldwin also has an adult daughter, model Ireland Baldwin, with ex Kim Basinger.)
“We gotta try to get through this,” he said, predicting we will be in this situation for the next two months. “It’s a big test — and I hope we pass the test.”
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC and WHO’s resource guides.
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