‘It wasn’t a hoax’: NC man converts Halloween skeletons, graves into COVID-19 vaccine message

A North Carolina man is repurposing Halloween decorations to urge people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Jesse Jones put up the display, featuring skeletons and tombstones that bear warning messages about vaccine hesitancy, including “I listened to Trump,” “It wasn’t a hoax” and “I got my news from Fox,” outside of his Raleigh home. He hopes the display will catch people’s attention, and inspire them to be vigilant about the pandemic.

A 13-foot tall skeleton in his yard has a sign hanging on it that reads, “Not vaccinated, see you soon, idiots!”

“The fact (is) that we didn’t take this seriously,” Jones told ABC 11 News. “My wife lost her mom due to COVID and she was a woman who spent her entire life looking after people — and she died completely alone in a hospital without being able to see one relative for 14 days.”

He added, “It was a nightmare. No one should go through what my wife went through watching her mom die like that.”

“The fact (is) that we didn’t take this serious.” Raleigh resident puts up display outside Oakwood home warning of COVID dangers and says his front yard plea is personal. His mother-in-law died from the virus. #ABC11 pic.twitter.com/aJFLe9ibnW

— Elaina Athans (@EAABC11) August 4, 2021

Jones said those who are not getting vaccinated are “endangering America.”

“If you are not vaccinated, you are not a patriot,” he said, according to ABC 11. “I need to look after you, you need to look after me. If everybody would just wear a mask, distance, be an American, be a patriot, and follow the rules, this would go away very quickly.”