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Ali Maffucci, of cooking blog Inspiralized, packed up bags and made the 20-hour drive along the east coast with her husband and young children March 30 -- two days after the CDC urged NJ, NY and CT residents to "refrain from nonessential domestic travel for 14 days, effective immediately," the New York Post reports.
Maffucci was not immediately available for comment when Daily Voice reached out Monday morning.
Seeing someone in her building collapse in the lobby is what ultimately helped 33-year-old Maffucci decide to head to Florida, she said in a now-deleted Instagram post of a photo at a South Carolina rest stop.
It turns out that resident in the lobby recently had surgery, and did not have COVID-19, the NY Post says.
Still Maffucci felt the move was her only option.
"I couldn't stay there anymore," she said in a now-deleted post. She also explained how staying in Jersey City meant having to interact with others -- the grocery man, fellow pedestrians and more.
Her family took strict precautions and didn't interact with anyone on their way down south, the influencer said.
Still, Maffucci was blasted for her decision by dozens of social media users. Some questioned her legitimacy as an influencer in defying CDC guidelines.
“Stay out of Florida," one Twitter user said in a comment that has since been deleted. "You’re randomly spraying bullets where you go! This is premeditated germ spreading. Stay away."
Another Twitter user vowed to unfollow Maffucci' on every platform.
“She’s working really hard to justify her behavior and it’s so gross," the user said. "She doesn’t get it."
"If some private citizen wants to defy CDC guidelines for nonessential travel, fine," single Hoboken mom Jenna told the New York Post.
"If you want to make a living as an influencer, then you need to respect what that means, in the good times and the bad. It means people follow your lead. They take your suggestions."
Maffucci defended herself in her Instagram story.
"Ironically, the haters are saying this is ‘irresponsible,’ but it’s the most responsible thing we can do," she said.
Florida officials that week imposed a stay-home order and told all inbound New Jerseyans and New Yorkers seeking refuge in the Sunshine State to self-quarantine.
Maffucci and her family quarantined with her parents in Florida.
Click here for more from the NY Post.
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