Actors urge people to #StayAtHome and #BreakCorona
Bollywood celebrities are sending out calls for solidarity to fight against the coronavirus pandemic, on social media. Actors Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Kartik Aaryan, Yami Gautam, as well as singers such as Shankar Mahadevan and Adnan Sami, have posted either video messages or tweets to encourage people to approach the situation with all seriousness. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has called for a Janta Curfew today, has acknowledged their efforts.
On the day when news emerged that Londonreturned singer Kanika Kapoor had tested positive for Covid-19, Kumar put out a video and, without making a direct reference to Kapoor, he spoke about how travellers are being explained the need of social distancing and are being allowed to go home after getting a ‘home quarantine’ stamp at the Mumbai airport, if found to be in the low-risk category.
Kumar adds, “Inmein se kuch yaatri, na hi bas sheher mein, balki desh ke alag alag hisso mein jaa rahe hain. Shaadiyon mein jaa rahe hain, Chhutti pe jaa rahe hain, bheed bhaad waali jagah mein jaa rahe hain, partiyan kar rahe hain. Kis tarah ki soch hai yeh... Kya samajh nahin aa raha hai logon ko?”
Khan, also, has urged people to avoid public places and transport unless absolutely necessary. Calling it a #WarAgainstVirus, he says, “To fight this crisis, the government and the citizens have to put up a strong joint fight.”
Bachchan posted a video — as part of an initiative by the
Maharashtra government — that includes messages from him and actors Madhuri DixitNene, Ranveer Singh, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana, Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn.
Aaryan, who’s very popular among youngsters, delivered an engaging monologue in his signature filmi style, while pointing out the basics one needs to follow in these trying times. And Gautam stressed that “we must accept that we are going through a dangerous phase” and warned that “the government or doctors can’t help us if we don’t help ourselves”.