‘The Rock’ urges people to ‘stay disciplined’ after he and his family test positive for COVID-19
FILE - Dwayne Johnson and his family have tested positive for COVID-19. Johnson is seen at the AFI FEST 2016 Presented By Audi premiere of Disney's "Moana" at the El Capitan Theatre on November 14, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Amanda Edwards/WireImage)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to Instagram Wednesday to announce that he and his entire family tested positive for COVID-19.
“Alright, good morning, by the way, or good afternoon or good evening, wherever you’re at around the world right now,” Johnson started off, in his famously friendly tone. “I wanted to give you guys a little helpful update on some of the things that I have been going through on my end for the past two and a half to three weeks, now. The update is this: My wife Lauren, as well as my two baby girls, and myself, we have all tested positive for COVID-19.”
RELATED: Notable celebrities, leaders and figures who have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus
The former WWE wrestler posted to his Instagram account to send a message to his nearly 200 million followers:
“Stay disciplined. Boost your immune system. Commit to wellness. Wear your mask. Protect your family. Be strict about having people over your house or gatherings. Stay positive. And care for your fellow human beings. Stay healthy, my friends,” the Instagram post read.
“I can tell you that this has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family,” Johnson continued. “And for me personally, too, and I’ve gone through some doozies in the past. I’ve gotten knocked about, I’ve gotten my a** kicked a little bit in the past.”
Johnson also mentioned that despite having gone through bouts of “nasty injuries” or even dealing with poverty, COVID-19 was “much different.”
“The reason why I feel like this is different is because my number one priority is always: Protect my family,” Johnson said. “Protect my children. My loved ones. By the way, I know I speak for all of you guys; it is our number one priority.”
Johnson went on to say he wished it was only himself who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, saying his entire family becoming infected was “a real kick in the gut.”
But Johnson did have some good news: His family is at the tail-end of the infection.
“We, as a family, are good,” Johnson said. “We are on the other end of it. We’re on the other side. We are no longer contagious, and we are, thank God, we are healthy.”
Johnson went on to warn his viewers about the dangers of young children contracting COVID-19, stating that generally, “babies and little children can often have little to no symptoms at all.“
“For our babies, Jazzy (Jasmine) and Tia (Tiana), they had a little sore throat the first couple of days, but other than that, they bounced back and it’s been life as normal,” Johnson continued.
“We picked up COVID-19 from very close family friends,” Johnson said. “These are people who we love and trust. These are people who we still love and trust.”
According to Johnson, the friends who infected his family “had no idea how they picked it up.” Johnson said that the friends were “incredibly disciplined” when it comes to health and safety measures.
“I am also incredibly disciplined,” Johnson continued. “I’m extremely disciplined when it comes to health, when it comes to to best practices, when it comes to safety measures for my family and for my loved ones and my friends and people who I care about.”
RELATED: COVID-19 has claimed the lives of these celebrities and notable people
Johnson added that he put his family on lockdown in March at the onset of the pandemic, isolating them as well as “not working.” But Johnson said he understands a need and want for family members and loved ones to continue to see each other to “have that connection” during a lonely time.
“I pass this onto you guys,” Johnson continued. “If you guys are having family and friends over to your house. You know them, you trust them. They’ve been quarantining just like you guys, you still never know.”
Johnson suggested to his followers that any visitors be tested prior to a home visit, and he stressed the importance of “wellness.”
Well-known for his fitness and active lifestyle, Johnson pushed for his viewers to continue to boost their immune systems as well as following guidelines already set in place by health professionals.
“Wear your mask,” Johnson said. “We have been in quarantine for months. We wear our masks everyday. You know, it baffles me that some people out there, including politicians, will take this idea of wearing masks and make it a political agenda. It has nothing to do with politics. Wear your mask. It is a fact.”
Using his mother as an example, who, according to Johnson, was diagnosed with lung cancer about 10 and half years ago and had to have part of her lung removed, “She has COPD too, that never goes away, but she wears a mask everyday.”
Johnson encouraged his followers to think of others during the pandemic and to “stay healthy.”