Rapper Dess Dior confirmed that she tested positive for coronavirus just days after performing at the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami, Florida, where at least 80,000 people were in attendance.
The open-air festival was the first of its kind in the U.S. to host so many people and performers since the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020. Hopeful that many attendees had been vaccinated against the virus that has killed more than 600,000 Americans, the event went on.
Dior shared on social media that she had been ill with symptoms on July 22, the day she was scheduled to perform at the three-day event.
“I’m sick af (sad emoji) in soooooo much pain rn,” she wrote on Twitter at the time.
She later confirmed that she tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, tweeting, “Update: I tested positive for Covid & everybody who’s been in contact with me should go get tested asap.”
According to a report from People Magazine, it’s unclear if Rolling Loud tested performers for COVID-19 ahead of their sets.
Due to local laws in Florida enacted by the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, proof of vaccinations were not required to enter the festival, and masks were also not mandated.
Rolling Loud posted an addendum on their website, writing, “However, we encourage all attendees to wear masks, as not wearing masks consistently and correctly, can increase risk of being infected with COVID-19.”
Dior is a 23-year-old Savannah, Georgia native and rapper who has been linked romantically to Future.
She started rapping at the age of 12 and has built her career largely off YouTube videos. Her biggest single, “Bandz,” was released in 2019.
The rapper began trending on Twitter after announcing her diagnosis, with one fan writing, “Dess Dior aint the only person at Rolling Loud who caught that sh*t mfkas was calling my homeboy last night saying they got it too. Miami is currently at a 97% CRITICAL infection rate we tried to warn yall.”
According to the New York Times, Miami-Dade County has seen over 527,000 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic and more than 6,400 deaths.