'Bonnie from the South Side' goes viral during COVID-19 pandemic

CHICAGO - We have a new internet star in Chicago, and the 75-year-old woman is a maven for social distancing.

So much so, she got the attention of Governor JB Pritzker during his daily briefing on Thursday.

“I went to Mariano's today. Minding my own business and there were these women in line and I had a cart, and I asked excuse me, and because she was standing so close to me I did this (Puts shirt over mouth and nose). She preceded to yell at me and tell me I was crazy. What was wrong with me? This is not a pandemic. This is a political hoax," Bonnie said in the now viral video.

She’s a saucy lady, and she’s now known on social media as "Bonnie from the South Side."

After a little confrontation at the grocery store, she's showing that even amid a worrisome pandemic, Chicagoans still have some spunk.

“And of course she got my South Side polish dander up, which I should have just kept on walking and I said, well if you're not afraid then why don't you volunteer and go to China and volunteer to help with people?” Bonnie said in the video.

She has become an icon for the social distancing movement.

“I don't know if you've seen the video of Bonnie from Chicago who took a video of herself and posted it on Twitter about her social distancing herself from somebody and that person essentially calling her a kook,” Gov. Pritzker said Thursday. “The point is, they should see what's happening around them and look at the numbers and they will see that Bonnie is right.”

After exchanging a few words, Bonnie says she walked away.

“I thought, you know this woman has no idea that I’m about 75 but I'm from Chicago and I will gladly tap her on the shoulder and ask her to step outside and proceed to kick her bleach-blond 50-year-old a**,” Bonnie said in the video.

Bonnie, thank you for your candor. Thanks for keeping us safe.

During her social media address, Bonnie mentioned her daughter is a healthcare worker, taking care of people in local hospitals. Looks like the desire to look out for others runs in the family.

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