Mumbai: Superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas urged people to fight the the coronavirus pandemic with unity, as they joined artistes from around the world for a virtual event to support healthcare workers who are battling it out against COVID-19.
Curated by pop star Lady Gaga, the One World: Together At Home virtual concert was organised Saturday by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and international advocacy organisation Global Citizen.
In a one-minute video clip, Shah Rukh said India is facing “one of its greatest challenges in our history” and with a population of over a billion citizens, COVID-19 is “bound to have a negative impact on the country”.
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“Like it is impacting the rest of the world too. Battling this crisis is going to take its toll, and this is the time to take action.
“Right now, I’m working with a team of people to provide protective equipment, quarantine centres, food and essentials to patients, hospitals and homes. But to beat this worldwide pandemic, the world has to, must come together,” he said.
The Fan star said it’s important for people to contact world and private sector leaders, and ask them to continue to contribute to WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund.
“So they can help to continue the hardest of areas and people who desperately need it. India, planet earth, we are one world. I love you, stay strong,” the actor added.
Priyanka said the impact of COVID-19 across the globe has been “unimaginable”, but its effect is “particularly devastating” for the 70 million people displaced in camps and shelters around the world, including facilities in the US.
‘Unlivable conditions’
“I have witnessed first-hand some of the overcrowded and unlivable conditions in refugee camps. Social distancing there is simply not an option. In order to curb the spread of COVID-19 in these specific communities, the needs are basic: health care, clean water and sanitation.
“Global Citizen and WHO are two organisations that I’m personally very proud to stand alongside to fight against COVID-19. In the fight to end this crisis, we truly can’t afford to lose anyone behind,” the actor, who is in Los Angeles, said.
The star-studded line-up also included the likes of Adam Lambert, Billie Joe Armstrong, Camila Cabello, Chris Martin, David and Victoria Beckham, Ellen DeGeneres, Idris and Sabrina Elba, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, Lilly Singh, Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Vishal Mishra among others.
PTI