Salman Khan asks fans to take coronavirus threat seriously, says lockdown is not public holiday

MUMBAI: Superstar Salman Khan on Sunday appealed to his fans to take the risk of coronavirus seriously and follow the government's call for observing social distancing.

In a video posted on Instagram, the 54-year-old actor started by lauding all those who are fighting the battle against COVID-19.

He urged people to follow the government advisories, saying people are mistaken if they think they cannot contract coronavirus.

"I want to appeal to everyone that the government is asking something, so please take it seriously and don't spread rumours. It is a problem with everyone for a long time that they believe it will not happen to them. Anyone can get infected with the coronavirus, be it in bus, train or in market place. So why do you want to take that risk," Salman said.

He asked people to not treat the lockdown as a public holiday and appealed to them to stay indoors.

"This is not a public holiday, it is a very serious matter. Stop doing all this and start wearing masks to protect yourself. Wash your hands regularly, keep yourself clean and maintain a distance from others.

"What is the problem in doing all this. If it saves countless lives, including your own, then why are you not doing it. Please do this as it is a matter of life and death. This is my request to all of you," the superstar said.

The country is observing a 14-hour Janata Curfew on Sunday, as appealed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The PM made a fervent appeal to all Indians to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid getting infected by coronavirus and called for the curfew on March 22 from 7 am-9 pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of the house.

Celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Hrithik Roshan among others had previously applauded PM's statement on Janta Curfew.

Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn also shared a video message where he asked people to defeat the "biggest villain" -- coronavirus.

"Every film has two kinds of characters one hero and one villain. In real life also, you will find many such characters. Today, not just for India but for the whole world, the biggest villain is coronavirus. The biggest heroes are those battling this virus."

"There many people like cleaners and alert citizens who are playing supporting roles in this battle. But the most interesting thing is that we are the casting director of this movie. It is in our hands whether we want to become hero or villain. Hands clean, then you're a hero. Hands dirty, then you're a villain," Ajay said.

The actor lauded the government, the authorities and the police for their efforts towards safeguarding the lives of the people.

"We just have to give support to them. So support them and take care of yourself. Do not go out of your house without any reason. Stay away from crowd. Do not let coronavirus survive. Climax is fun when the villain dies," Ajay added.