After the harrowing account of how Dwayne Johnson and his family tested positive for COVID-19, as SheKnows previously reported, the actor also shared on Instagram Live how the symptoms of the illness first started manifesting in his young daughters and how he and his family are committing to staying safe through the rest of the pandemic after such a stressful brush with the illness.
“My wife Lauren and my two baby girls, we have all tested positive for COVID-19,” Johnson said. “I could tell you that this has been one of the most challenging and difficult things we have ever had to endure as a family, and for me, too, personally as well. And I’ve gone through some doozies in the past. Testing positive for COVID-19 is much different than overcoming nasty injuries, or being evicted, or even being broke, which I have been more than a few times.”
The actor said that he and his family have since recovered and “are on the other side” and “no longer contagious,” but are also “well aware that it isn’t always the case that you get on the other end of COVID-19 stronger and healthier.”
He shared the symptoms he saw in his young daughters, Jazzy and Tia — noting that kids symptoms are typically reported as being mild.
“Generally babies and little children can often have little to no symptoms at all so for our babies, Jazzy and Tia, 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,” he said. “Happy babies running around as normal…We have isolated ourselves as a family, it’s what we had to do. For Lauren and I it was a bit different. We had a rough go, but we got through it. We got through it as a family. We are stronger, we are better, we did it together. We were lucky to control it and mitigate it. It didn’t spread out of control.”
And while they’ve recovered, he says that the experience of getting the virus from “close family friends” has totally changed how they keep their family safe in the pandemic.
“I am extremely disciplined when it comes to health, best practices, when it comes to safety measures for my loved ones and my friends and people I care about. I’ve applied that discipline. We were on lockdown since March. I have not worked and I feel like we did a pretty good job of protecting our family. But, like a lot of you guys having your friends over, having your family over, your loved ones —of course you want that connection and to be with the people you love who you care about and have a good time with. My takeaway isn’t necessarily to keep them away, but what I am saying is to apply an even greater discipline to having people over to your house.”
So even though he says he was “strict” before they tested positive, he’s insisting on being even more careful. And his advice is probably worth carrying over to your own home and weekend habits:
“This household, there is going to be new rules I’m implementing. If you’re going to have people over your house — you know them you trust them, they have been quarantining like you — you still never know,” he said. “Take an aggressive measure and get everyone tested before they come over. Have them tested the day before. And if they test positive, stay away. If you don’t, you come over.”
He also touched on the other hot topic mid-pandemic: masks. The Rock says to wear ’em — even citing that his mother (who was previously diagnosed with stage III B lung cancer and operates with a “limited lung capacity” wears her mask because it is the right thing to do and it is necessary for her health to not get the virus.)
“The other thing: Wear your mask. We have been in quarantine for months. We wear our masks every day. It baffles me , including some politicians will take this as part of political agenda. It has nothing to do with politics, wear your mask. It is a fact and it is the right thing to do and responsible thing to do — not just for yourself but your family and loved ones but also your fellow human beings,” he said. “…I am not a politician, I am a man who cares about my family deeply and will do anything I can to protect them. I am also a man who cares about all you guys. I don’t care what political party you’re affiliated with, I don’t care what part of the world you’re from, I don’t care what your skin color is, what your job is, what your bank account says, I don’t care. I do care about all of you and do not want you or your entire family to get COVID-19.”
Johnson closed on a hopeful note, saying that he hopes within a year “our world will look different” and that there will be vaccines and treatments effective enough to beat the pandemic.
“I do believe in hope, I do believe in optimism. I do believe in our doctors and epidemiologists, our scientists who are working to deliver the vaccine,” he said. “But that’s then, this is now.”
Before you go, check out our favorite cute and stylish kids face masks for your family:
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