Corona-fighting man reveals message: 'Stay sterile kids!'
Last Wednesday was an eventful day for Rutgers students. The University announced that the school is closed until April 3 due to the coronavirus and many speculate that this date could possibly be extended, especially given that President Robert L. Barchi announced a state of emergency yesterday.
But amid the confused students and corona-induced panic, a hero emerged.
A man dressed in a hospital disposable jumpsuit, glasses and a surgical mask was spotted walking around the College Ave campus carrying a hand sanitizer and talking to students. Videos of him interacting with people and lifting spirits are traveling across the internet, making this coronavirus-fighting man viral.
The man was often heard saying “Stay sterile, kids!"
Barstool Rutgers posted a collection of videos to its Instagram that showed the man giving hand sanitizer, and the video was captioned: “This man will single handedly end the CoronaVirus.”
The post is receiving thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, including, “He walks among us” and “Thank you for your service.”
The man behind the face mask is none other than Rutgers’ own Sam Afflu, a School of Graduate Studies student pursuing a master’s degree in biomedical sciences.
How did a busy graduate student decide to don his mask and cape?
Afflu noticed that many were upset with the situation and wanted to cheer students up. “Being forced to go home and leaving your lifelong friends is somewhat traumatic for a lot of kids. I saw a lot of kids crying and I felt bad, so I thought about how I could make them laugh but still keep within the theme,” he said.
Afflu’s Wednesday corona-fighting journey began after he took an EE bus from Cook, making his way across the College Avenue Campus and even stopping at Stuff Yer Face on Easton Ave. “I got a lot of laughs and people seemed to really enjoy it and get the absurdity of wearing something like that,” Afflu stated.
This isn’t the first time Afflu received attention for making light of situations. As a Rutgers senior, Afflu sent dildos to different dorms across Rutgers campuses, gaining attention on the internet, according to the Tab.
Although the coronavirus is a developing situation, Afflu highlights the importance of remembering to find the humor in everything.
Rutgers may have shut down most of the school, but Afflu seems to be the real person on the case. “I’m gonna single handedly stop corona(virus) with hand sanitizer. I will keep every kid at Rutgers sterile. Stay sterile, kids,” the corona-fighting hero said.
