Pakistanis definitely need no introduction to vlogger Eva Zu Beck who everyone got to know for the first time from her viral PIA Kiki Challenge. She received immense love from Pakistan and established herself as a travel vlogger. After completing her assignment in Pakistan, Eva traveled to a number of countries including Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, and now she’s based in Yemen.

When the unfortunate Covid-19 struck the entire world, Eva Zu Beck was traveling Socotra, a remote Island of Yemen

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WELCOME TO SOCOTRA ISLAND, YEMEN, FROM A GIANT SAND DUNE. I’m back on Socotra! I came to this epic Yemeni island last May, fell in love with it and promised myself to come back within a year. Socotra is one of the most remote and secretive places in the world. For several years during the conflict in Yemen, it was completely closed off to tourists. A single weekly flight resumed a few months back, making it possible to come here. It’s also much safer than the mainland: the recent violence in Yemen never really affected the island. It’s all mountain, beach and wilderness. Only the basics: very slow and sporadic internet, camping, no running water, or comfort. Just pure, raw adventure. My favourite kind of travel ❤️ More updates on how I’m dealing with the Coronavirus situation coming soon. Photo by @fearlessandfar. With @welcometosocotra

A post shared by Eva zu Beck ♡ Adventure Travel (@evazubeck) on Mar 15, 2020 at 5:20am PDT

Eva also mentioned this on her social media that she’s waiting at the island till the pandemic ends

So, one would think that Eva is avoiding social interactions on the island as authorities all around the world have been suggesting, but that’s not the case

Umm… turns out Eva Zu Beck is interacting with locals at the remote island in Yemen by having traveled there in March, as the coronavirus became a pandemic. While she says she was screened and allowed by island authorities before being allowed to mingle with the locals, people have shared concerns.

As the island went into lockdown and closed its borders, Eva has stayed back, while many others including her boyfriend, left for Cairo on the last flight from the island.

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BEING AN ADULT IS A MASSIVE SOCIAL SCAM. Right, dramatic headline out of the way. 😅 Let’s go. When I was a kid, I looked at the adults around me – my parents, teachers, caretakers – convinced that they had deciphered the mystery of life, found purpose and connected all the dots. After all, they were adults. “One day, when I’m an adult, I will also have my life magically in order”, I thought. But as a teenager, I began to see cracks in my understanding of the adults around me. It turned out that many of them struggled. Married couples sought divorces. High-paid managers disliked their jobs. Parents of three gave little thought to how to raise their children. Everyone wasted time and money and energy, just like me, a teenager. That’s not how I had imagined adulthood. Aren’t adults meant to cruise through life with a calm, unrelenting confidence? As it turns out – no, they’re not. That’s just something we came to believe as kids, when adults acted as our guides to the world. The bubble bursts sometime in our twenties, and suddenly we feel inadequate and confused, because surely, by now, we should have our life in order? But the reality is, nobody has their life fully in order, all the time. For me, being an adult doesn’t mean that you’ve deciphered the mysteries of life. For me, being an adult means, quite simply, taking responsibility for the choices you make in life. And if that’s the expectation we shared with our kids more often, yes, maybe the internet would lose its “adulting” memes, but maybe adulting itself wouldn’t be so dramatic and confusing. On the note of celebrating childhood, here are 3 great NGOs helping kids achieve their full potential: Afghanistan / Iraq ➡️ @freetorunngo Bangladesh ➡️ @mcfconnect Pakistan ➡️ @care_foundation P.S. a couple of days ago, I posted this pic – unblurred – on my stories. I very rarely post photos of kids, and upon reflection, I should have blurred that photo to protect their privacy, like here.

A post shared by Eva zu Beck ♡ Adventure Travel (@evazubeck) on May 10, 2020 at 5:57am PDT

Eva is facing severe backlash for having traveled to the island in the middle of a pandemic and not respecting the lockdown situation

Social media influencer @evabiankaz who went to Socotra island, Yemen during COVID-19 *STILL* refuses to self-isolate (or leave), she is hyper mobile travelling all over the island & interacting extensively with Socotris. Please respectfully reach out to her #respect_socotra pic.twitter.com/082H43HsQP

— Ella Al-Shamahi (@LittleMsFossil) May 15, 2020

People are concerned about the health and safety of the indigenous people of Socotra, as this negligence on the part of Eva could come at a heavy price for the locals

Yemen does not have that infrastructure to handle a massive outbreak so endangering lives of locals in such a way could result in a huge cost in terms of human lives. There’s a whole campaign of #respect_socotra going on.

Hey do see the slides… there are no Covid tests on the island, end of last week she was still posting stories with her interacting with lots of people… x

— Ella Al-Shamahi (@LittleMsFossil) May 19, 2020

People are also enraged that a CNN article showed sympathy withand allegedly misrepresented Eva’s situation

The article sympathized with the vlogger for being ”stuck” at a distant island and making the best of her situation.

Shocked- I need you guys to message @CNN to tell them to take this down. Indigenous lives have been put at risk by her refusing to self isolate, putting self promotion ahead of the vulnerable people on this Yemeni island. There’s literally a campaign about this – next tweet https://t.co/AF2bg3VXjR

— Ella Al-Shamahi (@LittleMsFossil) May 19, 2020

The article quietly inserts “viral infection” then tip toes away. My guess is, this island doesn’t have testing for covid and this chic had it and now the vulnerable indigenous people of the island are at risk.

— Dizzie Ferguson (@khaleesislifts) May 19, 2020

While the rest of the world is being responsible, one “social media influencer” is putting the lives of everyone on the island of Socotra is at risk – and @CNN is cheering her on. HAS THE WORLD GONE MAD?

— Dr. Paula Kahumbu (@paulakahumbu) May 19, 2020

The international community is furious at Eva Zu Beck for not being mindful of the lockdown restrictions

This is selfish, immoral, and quite simply dangerous behaviour. She has no right to endanger the local population with her abhorrent actions. Lockdowns are there for a reason and it's not to put entire populations at risk.

— Iain Boatman (@MesolithicMe) May 19, 2020

Eva Zu Beck at it again with her coloniser entitlement https://t.co/1aseAcn6gH

— فضا (@purpleside24) May 19, 2020

Eva Zu Beck has also responded to the entire backlash

In an Instagram post, Eva states that her intention was never to promote active travel. She just intended to share the beauty of the place while she was there. She says that she has spent her time in her family home in one village and intends to keep it that way.

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2.5 MONTHS ON THE ISLAND: ❤️2️⃣❤️ COVID-19 UPDATE. Thank you to everyone who has been so concerned about my stay on the island. 🙏 #Respect_Socotra, You have given me a new perspective and I apologize if I sent the wrong message before. Things are different from what they were before. My 1st month here was a “honeymoon period”, and the island felt very much sealed from COVID-19 due to restricted traffic. But, times change. Currently, many cases are being reported in mainland Yemen, and with some boat traffic to the island, not all of it properly quarantined (as it seems), locals have concerns. People (not tourists) have continued to arrive on Socotra. People are on alert, and wary that there is a possibility that the virus will eventually make it here, whether that’s tomorrow or in a year from now. Before, it felt safe to travel to different places around the island, but that’s no longer the case. Over the last 3 weeks, I’ve been spending the majority of my time in a family home in one village and intend to keep it this way. According to health professionals, the island is free of COVID-19, and while people want to trust them, it’s hard to know for sure without proper testing facilities. So in the village, Shibhan, they’re starting to take measures, just in case. Getting ready for the future. My host is trying to change the greeting habits in the village (from a handshake and a kiss to a wave), which isn’t easy but as he says, “we’ve got to start somewhere”. We started sewing face masks. From the perspective of time, given the knowledge I have now about the spread and nature of the virus, would I have made the decision to come here in the first place? No. My intention was never to encourage active travel to remote places during a pandemic. Rather, I wanted to share the beauty of a place I was already in, a place that’s little-known and needs to be protected. Remote places and populations are at a higher risk from the virus – in part because of limited healthcare infrastructure. Leaving? Hopefully. It’s a work in progress. Please donate to @monarelief, a local NGO working to bring basic necessities to people in Yemen: patreon.com/monarelief ❤

A post shared by Eva zu Beck ♡ Adventure Travel (@evazubeck) on May 19, 2020 at 6:41am PDT

Traveling is restricted for a reason in a global pandemic. We sincerely hope that the people of Socotra, and around the world, remain safe during this Covid-19 crisis.

And for you guys, stay home. Stay safe.

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Cover image via @evazubeck/ Instagram