The super rich: How these people live in luxury during quarantine

When someone isn’t directly impacted by hardship, some tend to fall into a powerful delusion that it’s “not that bad.” COVID-19 hit and the whole world was sent into absolute chaos. The World Health Organization counted over a hundred thousand cases and thousands of deaths in a matter of days. But for those living in luxury homes with great access to healthcare, there was little to worry about. 

Yet, as soon as the stock market began to collapse, a ferocious wave of dismissal began to rise up from many of the super wealthy. Desperate to stop the shutdowns people were essentially yelling “stop panicking!” into the streets. Many privileged people expressed that it wasn’t a big deal that the elderly were dying and that coronavirus “wasn’t that bad.” 

While stories of those suffering during this crisis are far more important than those comfortably living in the lap of luxury, it’s impossible to turn away from the gross imbalance made more evident right now. But how exactly are the super rich experiencing this global pandemic? 

Special access health care

Many people with financial abundance have used their money to establish ways to protect their health. For example, some secured special access to virus tests, experimental drugs, & personal ventilators.” According to Bloomberg, one anonymous billionaire has mentioned that many of his rich peers even inquired about reserving hospital beds just in case they fell ill. 

Not only is their care prepped to be reserved, access to testing can also be easily requested through a “medical concierge company” which welcomes rich clients on-call doctor services on a membership basis. Meanwhile, frontline healthcare workers and everyone but patients with severe symptoms have had to go without testing. 

Time to flee

While some struggle to secure any kind of housing to get them off of the streets and into quarantine, others have all the housing choices in the world. Ultra-wealthy homeowners rush to the countryside where coronavirus rates are low, or onto their yachts or private jets. 

News from BBC reports say that remote islands are flooding with people trying to escape the virus and some buy out entire hotels for their self-isolation. Resorts in places such as Mexico, the West Indies, & the Bahamas have reported that some guests have extended their stay indefinitely.

Not only is COVID-19 a vacation for some – it’s a time to buy & prepare for the worst. Currently bunker sales are up by 400%. There’s great fear that coronavirus will cause economic collapse & social unrest. So to protect themselves from disastrous scenarios they buy luxury bunkers with shooting ranges, greenhouse gardens, & more.    

Inconveniences 

It’s clear that billionaires and the like have extreme advantages to their living space & access to supreme healthcare care. Yet, somehow many still have the gall to openly complain or distress about their situation. 

Many rich entrepreneurs have been forced to start working from home, like many of us. According to the source at Bloomberg, instead of expressing sorrow or stress when asked about the devastating deaths spiking from coronavirus, their only emotion seemed to be personal irritation. The anonymous billionaire expresses:

“I have to make individual calls. It’s so hard. It’s so hard to deal with all these things. You can’t get five people in a room, 10 people in a room. I’m dealing with all this shit with my hands tied behind my back.”

It’s not as though people aren’t allowed to feel frustrated – it’s the fact that this personal inconvenience is always the forefront concern without imagining that their lifestyle is tremendously privileged. 

Some of the complaints about quarantine from rich people are even more ridiculous. Ellen DeGeneres, for example, made the ludicrous statement that she felt like she was in prison while quarantining on her multi-million dollar estate. Prisons across America have been hit by some of the worst coronavirus outbreaks due to their overcrowding & unsanitary conditions. It’s awful DeGeneres could make such a comparison. 

Sure, self-isolation & loneliness can have repercussions on our mental health – but it’s essential to realize how incomparable quarantine experiences can be to those directly suffering with the virus. Sometimes perspectives from the ultra-rich can really unveil toxic priorities & a shocking shortcoming of empathy.