@conscious.bro Survives COVID, then Rings in the New Year, Mask-Free
Update: 1/2/2021: Bowditch and Martinez have posted a clarification for context to Bowditch’s Facebook page. They state that they were following the CDC guidelines after having tested positive for COVID19, and that they were given consent to attend the New Year’s Eve party by the hosts after communicating their timeline. They state that after disclosing their positive tests, many people they were in contact with in the week they were infected got tested as well, and most tested negative. Bowditch also stated: “The consent in our community is that we are autonomous sovereign beings and we trust ourselves. We trust one another to make the best decisions for ourselves and our loved ones.”
On or around December 28 Jordan Maurice Bowditch posted a story to his @conscious.bro Instagram account. Bowditch identifies himself as a “ConsciousAF Coach & BROfessional Edu-tainer.” Bowditch’s LinkedIn profile lists his residence as Austin, TX. Bowditch claims JP Sears as one of his “besties,” as has appeared in Sears’s videos as recently as November.
The almost-six-minute selfie shows him walking dogs with his partner Alexa Martinez (@thatsexchick on Instagram) as they joke and laugh about having contracted COVID, and currently being out spreading it “like Christmas cheer.”
They don’t give dates for exposure or diagnosis. They describe themselves as feeling “fine,” “okay,” and being “well on the other side of” a “mild cold.”
At one point Bowditch describes currently being in quarantine, saying he would re-integrate with society when he’s “well on the other side of it.” His messaging about COVID itself is contradictory. He begins by stating that COVID is “not a hoax, per see,” but then implies the pandemic is “a bad flu season.” He expresses some empathy for people who have become seriously ill and then attributes his own allegedly mild case to his healthy virtue.
Martinez objects to messages she has received that accuse them of endangering others. Martinez says “it’s fucked up.” Bowditch agrees.
“I’m not going to live my life in such a way,” he says, “that is preventing myself or others from dying.”
On December 31, Bowditch took to Facebook to declare that he’d “survived COVID.” He doesn’t disclose specific times for his symptomology and testing.
In a Facebook post,* Bowditch describes connecting with “upwards of 100 people” during a “fulfilling week.” He declares himself free of regret, again attributes his mild case to his own health, saying he treats his body a “sacred temple” and that the “Kingdom of God” lives within him. The post states that “human connects is not dangerous and doesn’t warrant tyrannical restriction.” He posted the same content to Instagram.
The majority of comments on Facebook are extremely critical. “I say this in a grounded and respectful way,” wrote one commenter, referring to Bowditch’s request for civility in the comments. “You should be charged with a crime for your reckless behavior. While covid may not have hurt you, it can kill some, and you may very well have been the catalyst for multiple deaths. There’s a difference between being a “sheep” and being smart and not recklessly – and knowingly – endangering other people.”
One commenter on Instagram wrote: “While you ‘choose dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery”\’ my ER Doc husband is holding the hands of patients as they die without their families by their side. He’s lost colleagues and their family members to the virus as they continue to go to work to save lives from this very real virus.”
In an addition to this post, Bowditch states that he notified those he was in contact with prior to his positive test and that he quarantined for 10 days. In the December 28 post, however, Bowditch and Martinez say that they are still in quarantine.
“I choose dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery” is the signature slogan of retired Army Ranger and retired MMA fighter Tim Kennedy, who was featured on JP Sear’s podcast in a conversation where they both cast doubt on the seriousness of the pandemic.
On the same night as Bowditch’s Facebook post—three days after the dog-walking video—Bowditch can be seen at a crowded, mask-free New Year’s Eve party in an Instagram story video posted to the account of fellow Austin influencer, Amber Sears, wife of COVID-satirist JP Sears.
The CDC recommends that “quarantine can end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring.” Quarantine can end on Day 7 with no symptoms and a negative test.
*Update. As of 9am ET 1.2.2021, Bowditch’s Facebook post has been either deleted, or set to “Friends Only”.
