Instagram Influencer Facing Major Backlash for Partying on Beach Just Ahead of COVID-19 Diagnosis

Instagram influencer Rayvn Rochelle is under fire for going to a Miami beach just days before she [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Instagram influencer Rayvn Rochelle is under fire for going to a Miami beach just days before she was diagnosed with COVID-19. Rochelle shared a video from her trip to Miami on June 17 and was tested after arriving home. The fashion influencer, who has more than 187,000 Instagram followers, shrugged off the "hate" by sharing a photo of herself flipping her middle fingers at critics.

Rochelle shared several photos from her trip earlier this month and posted a video of herself drinking on the beach with her friends on June 17. "I should've just stayed home [crying emoji] but 'she ain't no punk b*tch' who was that hype man tho?!" she wrote in the caption. Days later, Rochelle took to YouTube, where she told her 1,250 subscribers she was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Rochelle began quarantining in Los Angeles in March but decided to go to Miami for two days to celebrate a friend's birthday. After she returned home, Rochelle decided to get tested because another friend of hers felt sick after going on the trip as well, reports the Daily Dot. The Instagram user said she felt a headache and a slight cough and is recovering from home.

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After publishing her YouTube video about the positive test, a Twitter user shared a screenshot next to Rochelle's June 17 Instagram post. "A story in two parts," the Twitter user wrote. The same person also published a screenshot of a woman named Tessie Smith not taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously days before Smith tested positive as well.

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Rochelle has since shut off all comments on the June 17 post and scrubbed comments from her other Miami posts. However, she shared a photo of herself flipping off social media users. "If your here from twitter, you can leave all your hate comments below," she wrote. "IVE BEEN BACK SINCE JUNE 11th & ALREADY QUARANTINED FOR 14 DAYS!!! I'm 100% healthy & have been since the 23rd!!! Y'all don't know s—," she said in response to one Instagram user.

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As of Sunday, the worldwide coronavirus case total reached 10 million, with over 2.5 million confirmed in the U.S. alone, according to Johns Hopkins University. The death toll has reached over 125,700. Several states have seen spikes in cases while reopening. Florida saw record single-day case numbers on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday morning, Florida reported over 9,500 new COVID-19 cases.

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