Married at First Sight alum Jamie Otis is apologizing for her vacation to Florida amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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A pregnant Jamie, her husband Doug Hehner, and their daughter Henley Grace, 2, traveled to Sarasota, FL, earlier this month in search of a second home because Jamie admitted she initially thought coronavirus concerns were blown out of proportion.
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"I'm not one to panic over viruses. I've been hoping the expectations for the corona virus spreading would be like the weather predictions....ya know, when they predict some ginormous nor'easter storm and it turns out to be a little windy and maybe a couple inches of snow," Jamie, 33, wrote March 15 on Instagram.
But once Jamie learned the coronavirus was predicted to get worse, she and her family decided to book a nearly-empty flight back home to New Jersey on March 23, which was earlier than they had anticipated. Jamie planned to sanitize her family the whole way back and take proper precautions.
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"We're gonna get gloves and masks -- even if the rest of the world thinks I'm crazy, it does make me feel better to at least try to protect ourselves. And if nothing else, we could be carriers right now and not know it so at least we aren't SPREADING it," Jamie wrote March 18 on Instagram.
She added, "When we get home we are self quarantining for a FULL 14 days just in case. [100 percent] we finally have a SOLID PLAN!"
But Jamie still received backlash for putting her family and others at risk, and she admitted on Monday, March 23 she is "ashamed" for having vacationed in Florida while coronavirus was spreading.
Along with posting photos of her family playing at the beach, Jamie wrote, "I wish we went home a couple weeks ago, but we didn't realize how serious this corona virus is. I'm not one who can't admit when I'm wrong. I believe that those who can recognize their faults, apologize, and take action to change are good people."
"I try not to live in fear. I really believed if I just kept a safe distance & sanitized myself, my family, and everything we touched we'd be fine going out & living as normal as possible."
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Jamie continued, "During the last few weeks we obvs went to the beach. We went to the pool (but found a spot 6ft away from the few others who were there). We took Gracie to the playground but made sure to wash our hands really well after. All along I was risking our family and others without even realizing it."
"I assumed this whole covid 19 thing would kinda just blow over like the seasonal flu, but it's A LOT more serious than I ever could have imagined."
Jamie went on to "send out a sincere apology" to her followers.
"By me going out to 'live as normal as possible' I was risking YOU and YOUR FAMILY. I'm a registered nurse and I should know better. I'm ashamed of myself for this and I'm genuinely sorry. We will not be living so frivolously any longer," Jamie insisted.
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"I have gloves & masks for our trip home tomorrow & of course sanitizer...to protect ourselves and to protect *others* from us and our silly choices, [100]. It'll be our last trip out for a long, long time. No matter what we 'need' we will not be going to the grocery store or any other place for two full weeks once we get home. Our plan is to STAY HOME & STAY SAFE!"
Jamie went on to say, "I hope you're staying safe, too! We will all get through this together. Sending you SO MUCH LOVE & thinking of YOU!"
Once Jamie, Doug and Henley -- who was born in August 2017 -- returned home safely, Jamie documented on her Instagram Stories how they are quarantining at home, where Jamie and Doug also celebrated their six-year wedding anniversary.
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Jamie and Doug starred on Season 1 of Married at First Sight, and they're currently expecting their second child together after suffering through multiple miscarriages.
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Jamie and Doug revealed in November 2019 they have a baby boy on the way who's due to arrive in May 2020.
While Jamie was in Florida, she feared potentially going into labor early, which also apparently impacted her decision to fly back to New Jersey instead of just sticking around in Florida longer and quarantining her family there.
Following their stint on Married at First Sight's first season, Jamie and Doug co-starred on Married at First Sight: The First Year, a spinoff which continued to follow the two MAFS Season 1 couples who opted to remain together during their first year of marriage.
Jamie and Doug also later starred on Married at First Sight: Jamie and Doug Plus One, their own spinoff which premiered in December 2017.
Jamie currently serves as the host of Married at First Sight: Unfiltered, the show's post-episode discussion show that also airs on Lifetime.
Jamie and Doug additionally appear on Married at First Sight: Couples Couch, which features former MAFS couples offering commentary on encore broadcasts of the show's tenth-season episodes.
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