Scott Moir took to Instagram on Thursday to thank front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to defend his decision to return to his home in Canada after living in the U.S. for a couple months.
The Canadian Olympic champion posted a four-minute video to the social platform where he explained why he and his fiancée were currently in Tampa, Fl., and to refute claims that he had broken quarantine rules.
“I do feel like I have to defend myself a little bit. There’s been people saying things online and people borderline harassing the people that I’m working with ... and just saying facts that aren’t true,” the figure-skating champ said, before noting that his fiancée, Jackie Mascarin, is a physician’s assistant who works in a respiratory unit at a local hospital in Tampa.
Moir explained that he was with Mascarin at their Tampa home, “to support her and I’m so proud of her every day.
“These workers, the people who are stepping foot into the hospital, front-line workers, first responders; they’re heroes in a time like this and they’re putting their families at risk for the good of society, and I felt like as a life partner I should stay here in Tampa and support her.”
Moir noted that the couple, who are getting married in July, are re-locating to their Ilderton, Ont. home next week, although not via plane, as some people online speculated.
Moir posted the video in reaction to online comments that said he went to a resort outside of Canada in March. Canadian Quarantine Act guidelines originally published March 14 state people should avoid all non-essential travel outside the country to prevent potentially spreading the COVID-19 virus.
Moir was supposed to participate in the figure skating world championships in Montreal, which was scheduled for mid-March, but was cancelled due to the pandemic.
“There’s people saying that I’ve been back and forth and that I went on vacation after Worlds and the fact of the matter is, we are in Tampa, and we have been in Tampa, and we are in isolation and we are following the guidelines like I’m sure all of you are doing, and it wouldn’t have even been possible for me to go back and forth,” Moir said.
According to CBC News, some people online are saying it’s irresponsible for the couple to travel to Canada after living in Tampa for a few months, noting they could be putting others at risk.
But Moir defended their choice to travel back to their primary Canadian residence, saying,“We are Canadians and we wanna help and that’s the whole reason Jackie wanted to be a physician’s assistant — she wanted to help people in need — so we decided that we would stay down here [in Tampa] for a couple months, and now that that’s done we’re headed home next week.
“It’s really none of your business how I’m getting from Jackie’s home here to our home in Ilderton, but you can be rest assured that we’re not going to be flying and we’re going to have an incredible quarantine action plan and it’s a tough time for everybody.”
When the couple arrive in Canada, they will have to self-isolate for 14 days, whether or not they have COVID-19 symptoms.
Moir ended his spiel on a lighter note, thanking his fans for “having my back” and wishing everyone “good health during this time.”
Also on HuffPost: