Naomi Campbell Gets Candid About Why She Wore Hazmat Suit Through LAX During Coronavirus Pandemic
Last week, Naomi Campbell made headlines when she was spotted wearing a hazmat suit through LAX amid the coronavirus outbreak. Today, the supermodel is dropping a YouTube video on her popular Being Naomi channel that reveals what went down behind the scenes before she walked into the airport — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look.
The six-minute clip opens with the 49-year-old star getting ear seeds applied to acupuncture points to help “balance the heart and mind” and “reset the nervous system,” Campbell’s assistant explains.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, the supermodel clarifies that the holistic treatment eases her anxiety surrounding coronavirus and flying: “It just gives me a sense of calm,” she shares. “It helps a lot.
In her Being Naomi video, Campbell beings by saying, “We have to do what we have to do. So today, you came to meet me. I’m in LA. I’m flying back home to New York.”
“As this is a very sensitive time in the world, I’m not going to lie to you and say I’m not nervous to take this flight…I am,” she continues.
RELATED: Naomi Campbell’s Over-the-Top Airport Routine Includes Face Masks and Lots of Sanitizing Wipes
“So, here’s my outfit,” she says, as a photo her $15.99 Amazon purchase — a DuPont Industrial & Scientific Disposable Elastic Waist, Bootie and Hood Tyvek Coverall Suit — flashes across the screen. (Never one to sacrifice good fashion, Campbell pairs the unusual airport look with black high-top sneaks and a beige Burberry cape).
Naomi Campbell/ Instagram
Campbell explains that, because it’s “important not to touch surfaces,” she feels most comfortable wearing a hood, covering her hands with pink latex gloves and protecting her eyes with clear goggles.
“This is it. This is my precaution. What do you think?” the supermodel says with a laugh in the video. “In all honesty, this is not a funny time. It’s not a humorous time. I’m not doing this for laughs. This is how I feel comfortable traveling.”
Though she bought her suit and goggles just six weeks ago, Campbell has been wearing gloves and a mask during flights for years now. She tells PEOPLE that she started wearing gloves after an airport employee told her how unsanitary the airport security trays are (especially after considering how many germs travel necessities like laptops, iPads, passports, etc. are exposed to during travel).
“These are things we touch all the time,” she explains, before expressing great concern for TSA staff members. “Can you imagine the people risking their lives every day touching thousands of passports? We have to feel for people like doctors, postmen, delivery people, people who work in the airports and public transport — we need to feel for these people because this is their job and they’re putting themselves at a high-risk [to do it].”
Kevin Mazur/Getty
“We have to have compassion for these people in these types of jobs that are keeping our cities revolving,” Campbell tells PEOPLE exclusively.
In the YouTube video, Campbell swallows several immune-boosting supplements, including two Vitamin C packets and papaya concentrate before getting out of her car and walking into the airport. She then applies a protective face mask and makes her way towards security.
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“Made it back to New York all in one piece,” she says with a sense of relief after the flight. “That was a very surreal journey for me. I have to say, when I got on the plane people moved away from me. There was a guy sitting in front of me, he moved to the right. There was a guy sitting behind me, he moved to the right. Everybody didn’t want to be around me but that’s cool — I didn’t want to be around them either!”
“But in all seriousness, I think we must take every precaution that makes us protected and comfortable,” Campbell says at the end of the video. “I’m definitely going to be keeping traveling to a minimum.”
RELATED: Here’s a Map of All the Coronavirus Cases in the U.S.
On a personal level, the supermodel tells PEOPLE she’s most concerned about her friends overseas, who she calls to check in on every single day, and her two grandmothers, who she knows are safe and inside amid the outbreak.
“I think all of the precautions told to you by the officials, you do. And anything else you feel you need to do, you do,” she concludes. “Anything else that makes you feel comfortable in public spaces, you do.”
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes ,PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.
