This week, President Trump announced that current social distancing guidelines will have to continue until at least the end of April, however, at least one high-profile public figure has made clear that she won’t be abiding by them, the New York Post reports.
Bryant Johnson is the personal trainer of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and in a March 31 interview with Law360, he revealed that the 87-year-old is still showing up at the gym to work out.
“Everybody’s been shut down,” Johnson explained. “The only reason why I didn’t shut the justice down is because, hey, she ain’t having it.”
The 30-year Army veteran went on to say, “She has that grandfather status to me and if she wants to train, that’s the least that I can do.” He added that he and the justice are continuing to take precautionary measures such as using disinfectant wipes on the equipment.
History of health concerns
Given her advanced age and lengthy history of health problems, Ginsburg is at greater risk of developing serious complications should she contract the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The octogenarian jurist has already survived four bouts with cancer, which included having cancerous nodules removed from her lungs as recently as late 2018. The cancer came to light after she sustained three fractured ribs as the result of a fall in her office.
Those facts have lead many to worry for Ginsburg’s future, which has significant political importance, particularly for those on the left. A a staunch liberal, Ginsburg would likely be replaced by a much more conservative jurist should circumstances force her to step down while President Donald Trump is still in office.
In reference to the panic such a scenario has caused in progressive circles, one Twitter user wrote, “As someone else suggested, could we wrap Justice Ginsburg in bubble wrap to protect our American treasure.”
Workouts prompt mixed reaction
While many observers admire Ginsburg’s vigor in the face of ongoing health concerns, others are annoyed by her decision to continue working out at the gym in apparent defiance of the social distancing guidelines that are currently in place, with one Twitter user complaining, “Dear God I was staying at home for her and she’s not doing the same for us.”
Meanwhile, another commentator on social media asked, “Can we start a GoFundMe to purchase home gym equipment?” The user went on to say that he would be “good for a few hundred.”
The Supreme Court has been closed to public tours since March 12, and its closure was followed by an announcement the next day that the justices would take a temporary break from hearing oral arguments due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
These events represent the first time that the nation’s highest judicial body has essentially shut down in this way since the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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