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Mothers find laughter in viral video during COVID-19 quarantine

By Claudia Kelly-Bazan
Updated  April 28, 2020 11:05pm EDT
Coronavirus in Georgia
FOX 5 Atlanta

2 Georgia moms go viral during coronavirus pandemic

Two Georgia mothers share a now-viral Facebook post amid their personal strife showing the pair having fun in quarantine together

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Georgia has been under a shelter in place order for almost a month, and it can be tough to find ways to stay entertained within the walls of your own home. But two mothers in Gwinnett County seemed to have solved the dilemma.

Amy Steele and Kelly Lukenda Ely have been best friends for more than 10 years. That’s why it was an easy decision for Steele, when Ely’s home caught on fire. Ely and her family moved in next door with Steele immediately.

Ely says her family used their Primo grill about 3 weeks ago. She says, “it got so hot, it crumbled and it caught out deck on fire, the side of our house.” Ely woke up around 3 a.m. because she could smell the smoke.

Steele says she remembers the moments firefighters carried out the American flag from the fire. She says, “the way they carried it out, the American flag, was ceremonial.” She says it was an eye-opener for her.

Fortunately, everyone got out of the home safely. And while her insurance did offer to pay for a hotel, Ely felt that it wasn’t a safe option during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So how have the mothers spent their time in quarantine? Simply, by having some fun.

A Facebook video went viral in an instant, reaching more than 8.6 million views Tuesday evening and counting.

The video shows the 2 mothers trying out some healthy snacks, but you quickly find out their arms belong to other people.

Steele’s 18 and 14-year-old daughters helped make the viral video, although they didn’t want to do it at first. “They were like ‘no, that’s not even funny. I don’t even wanna do it,’ but we talked them into it,” says Steele.

Steele posted the video on Facebook, but it wasn’t public at first. “My husband’s cousin reached out to me and said ‘will you please make this shareable?’ And I was like, I don’t even know how to do that,” laughed Steele. But with a little help, the video was finally shared and the views skyrocketed.

“I think the best part about it is the messages we’ve gotten from random people. Telling us thank you, and that they needed that laugh and the struggles they are going through and our video helped them,” says Ely.