'We need to make sacrifices right now': Celebrities beg fans to take coronavirus seriously
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Taylor Swift is the latest celebrity to issue a plea to fans to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and stay indoors.
On Sunday, the “Lover” singer-songwriter took to Instagram stories to share a message with her more than 128 million followers, encouraging them to take the novel coronavirus outbreak seriously and “make sacrifices.”
“Guys, I follow you online and I love you guys so much and need to express my concern that things aren’t being taken seriously enough right now,” Swift wrote.
“I’m seeing lots of get togethers and hangs and parties still happening,” she said. “This is the time to cancel plans, actually truly isolate as much as you can, and don’t assume that because you don’t feel sick that you aren’t possibly passing something on to someone elderly or vulnerable to this.”
Although the elderly have been considered at risk, the COVID-19 virus poses an equally dangerous and potentially life-threatening threat to those with serious chronic medical conditions and compromised immune-systems including asthma, heart disease, diabetes, lung disease and cancer.
Earlier this year, Swift revealed during an interview with Variety that her mother, Andrea, was recently diagnosed with a brain tumour while undergoing chemotherapy fo an undisclosed form of cancer.
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Experts have warned that those undergoing active treatment such as chemotherapy, are considered high risk for developing severe illness and have been urged to limit their amount of social interaction in addition to frequent hand-washing and disinfecting frequently touched areas in their home.
“It’s a really scary time but we need to make sacrifices right now,” Swift said.
The star’s message is just one of several issued by celebrities encouraging their fans not to downplay the severity of the virus.
Ariana Grande also issued a similar message to her fans on Sunday.
“I keep hearing from a surprising amount of people surprising statements like ‘This isn’t a big deal’ [or] ‘We’ll be fine’... ‘We still have to go about our lives’ and it’s blowing my mind,” she said.
The “Thank U, Next” star those sentiments may have been appropriate weeks ago, but the situation has changed.
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“Please don’t turn a blind eye,” Grande continued. “It’s incredibly dangerous and selfish to take this situation that lightly. The ‘we will be fine because we’re young’ mindset is putting people who aren’t young and or healthy in a lot of danger. You sound stupid and privileged and you need to care more about others. Like now.”
Miley Cyrus cautioned fans against over-buying, asking people to practice “restraint” instead of panicking.
“Be thoughtful. Respectful. Compassionate [and] human while preparing for social distancing...No one needs every soup in the store,” Cyrus wrote on Twitter. “The more we hoard the more expensive and sparse necessities will become, leaving many without essentials. This is a great time to practice restraint. It’s incredibly difficult to make decisions while panicking, but think twice before following the fear and being inconsiderate. There is enough to go around if we take care of one another. This is a beautiful time to lead.”
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