Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande urge fans to take coronavirus seriously: 'Don't turn a blind eye'

Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande are both using their platforms to urge fans to take COVID-19 seriously.

Swift took to her Instagram Story on Sunday to ask her followers to "truly isolate" themselves and avoid crowds.

“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,” she wrote. “I’m seeing lots of get-togethers and hangs and parties still happening. 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."

She continued, "It's a really scary time but we need to make social sacrifices right now."

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Swift's message came after fellow pop star Grande spoke about coronavirus, which has been deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Grande posted a series of tweets criticizing those underestimating the situation, saying, "It's really blowing my mind."

"I keep hearing from a surprising amount of people statements like 'this isn't a big deal' / 'we'll be fine'...'we still have to go about our lives' and it's really blowing my mind," she tweeted. "I understand if that is how u felt weeks ago. but please read about what's going on. please don't turn a blind eye."

Grande reminded her followers to think about others in the health crisis, adding, "It is 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."

In California and other areas, officials are instructing people to cancel all gatherings of 250 or more people and encouraging "social distancing" measures. In New York City, public school systems will begin shutting down.

Also on Sunday, Trevor Noah encouraged his viewers to stay home and be mindful of others. In the same video, The Daily Show host said the show would be suspending production next week.

"If we all panic, nobody has anything, and if nobody has anything then there's more panic. It becomes a vicious cycle," he said. "So be considerate of others, take what you need, leave the shop, and let's act like we live in a community, not just by ourselves."

In one high profile case, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for coronavirus in Australia, where the actor was working on an upcoming film. The beloved star later assured his fans that the pair was managing well in isolation.

On Saturday, Hanks posted another update on Instagram, expressing gratitude for people on the frontlines of the pandemic. "Thanks to the Helpers. Let’s take care of ourselves and each other. Hanx," he wrote.

Across the entertainment industry, events and productions are halting to reduce the spread of the virus. SXSW, Coachella, CinemaCon, as well as a slew of concert tours have either been postponed or canceled. Disney has also suspended production on all its live-action films in development, like The Little Mermaid, Shang-Chi, the Home Alone reboot, and more.

For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.

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