When the pandemic started in March 2020 it gave most of us something we lack – time on our hands. Some devoted this extra time to self-care, others (like me) used the time to work on projects around the house. I built a gym in my basement. Despite the frustrations of lockdown and quarantine, the experience has been offset by the advantages that come with remote working. Not having to commute and being able to work anywhere sometimes felt like a staycation (Ho).
The term appeared in the Urban Dictionary on April 5, 2020: “Getting paid to be off of work and having nothing to do or nowhere to go.
-The trip I took to Puerto Vallarta and got stung by a sting ray beats the hell out of this coronacation I’m on. This sucks!” (Casper 70).
Coroncation appeared as a new word suggestion in the Collins Dictionary on August 20, 2020 courtesy of LexicalItem.
a prolonged period at home away from one’s normal place of work, study, etc. viewed as an obligatory holiday imposed by stringent COVID-19 restrictions. b) a holiday or vacation taken during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. (c) indicating disapproval: holidaying to or vacationing in a destination where the risk of contracting COVID-19 still persists to take advantage of abnormally favourable travel, accommodation, etc. rates reduced because of the downturn in tourism caused by the pandemic.
Coroncation found its way into news articles. Jenna Intersimone who writes for Bridgewater Courier News, encouraged readers to “take a mini ‘coronacation’ by driving by these NJ landmarks.”
Some people got creative during their “coronacation.” There are a number of “Coroncation song” videos on YouTube but this one had the most views (over 5,000) and shows teachers singing a song of encouragement to their students who are virtual learning. The producer describes it as “a video to encourage students to work hard while learning at home. And to let them know that their teachers love them!” (Hamlin).
Social Media Trends as of July 10, 2022
Facebook #coronacation: 36,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #coronacation: 195,131 posts
TikTok #coronacation: 516.9 million views
YouTube #coronacation: 515 videos and 233 channels
Google Trends: coronacation first appeared during the last week of March 8, 2020 which coincided with lockdown. The popularity of the term peaked the following week and then tailed off that summer.
Sources:
Casper70. “Coronacation.” Urban Dictionary. April 5, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Coronacation.
“Coronacation.” MakeAMeme.org. URL: https://makeameme.org/meme/coronacation-428266aacb.
Hamlin, Katie. “Coronacation Song.” YouTube. March 17, 2020. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to-LlG9EUB4.
Ho, Sally. “Coronavirus Vocabulary: 8 Slang Words You Need To Know During The Pandemic.” GreenQueen.com. April 29, 2020. URL: https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/coronavirus-vocabulary-8-slang-words-you-need-to-know-during-the-pandemic-2/.
Intersimone, Jenna. “Take a mini ‘coronacation’ by driving by these NJ landmarks.” MyCentralJersey.com. May 13, 2020. URL: https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/things-to-do/2020/05/13/new-jersey-landmarks-day-trips-road-trips-coronavirus/5176172002/.
LexicalItem. “Coronacation.” Collins Dictionary. August 20, 2020. URL: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/submission/22664/coronacation.