Thanks to blaring headlines and the 24-hour news cycle, avoiding news of the coronavirus is difficult.

That is, unless you’re silently meditating in the desert far from civilization. That is, unless you’re Jared Leto.

The actor was self-isolating, before it was recommended by governments and health experts. Leto had taken a break from the world and retreated to the desert for some quiet time only to emerge 12 days later to a wildly changed world facing the pandemic. He took to Instagram to express his feelings.

“Wow. Twelve days ago I began a silent meditation in the desert,” Leto wrote in his post, which was captioned with a red heart emoji. “We were totally isolated. No phone, no communication etc. We had no idea what was happening outside the facility.”

The actor continued that when his retreat ended, he “walked out yesterday into a very different world. One that’s been changed forever. Mind blowing—to say the least.”

“I’m getting messages from friends and family all around the globe and catching up on what’s going on,” he continued in the post. “Hope you and yours are OK. Sending positive energy to all. Stay inside. Stay safe.”

Leto is not the only person who is just now discovering the new reality of life in a pandemic. The cast of Germany’s version of the reality show Big Brother has been isolated on set and have not yet learned about the the spread of COVID-19 has locked down much of the world.

According to the BBC, the cast will finally be informed on Tuesday night in a live TV special.

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