Bollywood stars raise awareness about the rising COVID-19 numbers
What's the story
Many Bollywood stars like Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, and Dharmendra, among others, are urging the public to follow COVID-19 protocols amidst the alarming surge in COVID-19 numbers in the country.
The stars advised fans to stay indoors if possible and to wear a mask and practice social-distancing.
Notably, India's COVID-19 figures have been steadily surging, especially in Maharashtra, signaling a possible "second wave."
Details
Alia Bhatt and Soni Razdan urge public to stay safe
Alia Bhatt shared a news item about the surging numbers of COVID-19 positive cases on Instagram and wrote alongside, "Please be safe guys."
She recently issued a statement denying the rumors that she was infected with the virus after her boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor and her Gangubai Kathiawadi director Sanjay Leela Bhansali tested positive.
Her mother Soni Razdan also posted asking fans to stay safe.
Information
Dharmendra posted about the need to wear a face mask
Veteran actor Dharmendra, who recently received the COVID-19 vaccine and had urged everyone to get the same, posted on Twitter about wearing masks.
He advised people to wear a mask, posting an old picture of himself alongside the caption, "Mask laga kar baith..... tere tarboz koi nahin kharede ga.......lock down ko lock karna hai ..... to do gaz ki doori aur mask zarori."
COVID-19 cases
Many Bollywood actors have been infected; many got themselves vaccinated
Since the entertainment industry resumed productions, many Bollywood celebrities have been infected by the highly contagious virus.
Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Arjun Kapoor, and Varun Dhawan are among the many actors that contracted COVID-19.
Meanwhile, a lot of actors also received the COVID-19 vaccine Neena Gupta, Hema Malini, Sharmila Tagore, and Saif Ali Khan were among the first few to receive the dose.
Cases
COVID-19 cases are increasing across the country
Many states across the country are reporting a steady hike in numbers, worrying the state governments and the Centre.
On Sunday, Karnataka Health Minister Dr. K Sudhakar warned that "the second wave of coronavirus has begun."
According to the numbers released on Sunday, 43,846 new coronavirus cases were recorded, the highest single-day rise in 2021.
Maharashtra remains the worst-hit with over 27,000 new cases.