Cardi B Questions US Government’s Response to Coronavirus Pandemic

Rapper Cardi B is not impressed by the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The “Bodak Yellow” singer was back on Instagram Live this weekend with more questions and fears about the global outbreak, wondering if the U.S. was doing enough about it. She compared the domestic response to that of the virus’ origin: Wuhan, China.

Cardi B has been making waves with her commentary on COVID-19, the novel coronavirus strain that is now a global pandemic. With cases in the U.S. rising rapidly, she did another livestream on Instagram on Saturday, wondering aloud whether the government is responding appropriately. As of right now, the rapper said, she is terrified by the lack of tests available to the general public.

“You know, I started doing more research and everything, and I watched a YouTube video — I don’t know if it’s up now. It’s like, a little documentary that they did in Wuhan, China,” she said. “When they put Wuhan, China in quarantine… they were spraying s— in the streets. They were knocking on each door, taking peoples’ temperature, and anybody that had the coronavirus, they would do strict quarantine on them.”

“My thing is, while we’re quarantining at home, what is the government doing?” she continued. “Is y’all spraying s— in the street? …Is y’all gonna one by one take our temperature to see if we got it and whatnot? How am I supposed to know that I have the coronavirus?”

Cardi expressed anxiety about the inconsistency of symptoms across different cases of COVID-19. She pointed out expert recommendations as well as case-by-case anecdotes, remarking that some basketball players claimed that they had tested positive, but never showed any symptoms. She thought that the top priority should be making tests as widely available as possible.

At the end of the stream, Cardi acted out the anxiety and paranoia this confusion was causing, even half-jokingly voicing some conspiracy theories about the virus, saying: “If you’re paying n—s to say that they got it, pay me too!”

This is not the first outlandish request Cardi has made for inside knowledge on the cornavirus. Last week, in another Instagram Live stream, she asked if any of her fans worked at the Pentagon, and if so requested that they give her the inside scoop.

“If you work at the f—ing Pentagon, let a b— know… I need to know,” she said. “I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m losing my f—ing mind. I want to get dressed up. I want to put a f—ing lacefront on, I want to put on my f—ing expensive outfits, and I want to go out. And I can’t!”

Visit the CDC’s website for the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic.