MUMBAI: Coronavirus is now a reality in India, with 29 cases confirmed all over the nation by the first half of Thursday. Stars and filmmakers across Bollywood and the southern film industry have united to spread awareness about the disease and stop panic on social media.
Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu shared a list of dos and don'ts on Instagram story. The list includes observing good personal hygiene, frequently washing hands with soap, covering one's mouth while sneezing and coughing, refraining from consumption of raw or undercooked meat, refraining from travelling to farms, live animal markets or where animals are slaughtered.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has suggested avoiding handshake or hugging. He has insisted on traditional Indian ways of greeting like salaam and namaste. Sharing Salman's post on Instagram, actress Bipasha Basu wrote: "With Awareness and good hygiene we can fight anything. Well said @beingsalmankhan."
Not mentioning coronavirus directly, director Rohit Shetty has reposted nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar's post pertaining to "Common sense to deal with uncommon threats" on Instagram. The post offers tips like having amla daily, consumption of turmeric milk at night, hot water bath with neem leaves, washing hands before eating and refraining from shaking hands.
Veteran actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha took to Twitter to spread awareness through a series of tweets. In one tweet, he has appealed to all to stop rumor mongering.
"From #SafdarjungHospital & to all other hospitals. The fear that has gripped the city/nation should be cleared out by the media who can play an important role by preventing outright negative & fake news. Rumour mongering must stop. Media can be positive & responsible in these fearful & stressful times. They can also be very helpful in keeping the matter calm & fruitful. #CaronaVirus"
Advising all to drink hot water in another tweet, he wrote: "This time, the Wuhan virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed at a temperature of 26-27 degrees. Therefore, drink more hot water. You can tell your friends and relatives to drink more hot water to prevent it. Go under the Sun. It has been cold recently, and drinking hot water is also very comfortable. It is not a cure and is good for the body. Drinking warm water is effective for all viruses. Try not to drink ice, remember!"
Director Ram Gopal Varma took to Twitter to sarcastically express: "If there are much lesser number of cases in India, it either means we are just plain lucky or that coronavirus doesn't like Indians much."
Director Anubhav Sinha also shared the same point as Ram Gopal Varma that the number of cases in India is very low and requested everyone not to panic.
He tweeted: "Influenza kills more people every year. We are panicking because we think this shit is new and there is no cure for it. But the truth is that the mortality rate is very low. So... #DontPanic #Corona BUT #TakeCare."
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri tweeted: "A doctor told me that people who stay too much in central AC environment have a higher chance of catching Corona Virus than those who stay in open and natural environment. By that logic urban areas are more susceptible than villages."
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