Ellen Pompeo Urges People To ‘Stay Home’ After Medical Professional Enlist Her Help

Ellen Pompeo has been asked by doctors to send her fans a message about taking the coronavirus seriously.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star posted a video online urging everyone to “stay home.”

“I have been asked to make another video to ask everybody to please stay home,” Pompeo said on Instagram. “I’ve had a lot, too many, phone calls and emails from doctors and nurse friends of mine, even the Governor of New York, his office called today to ask me to help, once again, to get the word out for everybody to please stay home. Please!”

“The healthcare professionals, the doctors, the nurses, anyone who works in a hospital, they’re at their wits end and now they’re starting to die. We’re not doing enough,” she added. “Everybody, just please stay home. And if you know someone who is not taking this seriously and who isn’t staying home, please talk to them. We have to stay home. It’s all their asking us to do. It’s not that hard.”

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are asked to self-isolate for 14 days in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.