Alia Bhatt urges people not to abandon pets out of coronavirus scare

As misinformation surface online that animals spread coronavirus is causing many pet owners to abandon their pets, actor Alia Bhatt on Tuesday took to social media to clear the misconception around the issue.

The 27-year-old actor posted a statement on Instagram in which she emphasised that "there is currently NO EVIDENCE" to suggest that pet animals can be a source of infection to humans."

The 'Highway' actor also quoted the statement of Maharashtra's Health Minister Rajesh Tope's saying, "there is no case in the world of domesticated animals spreading coronavirus and people should not abandon their pets for fear of infection."

She further urged the pet owners to maintain good hygiene including washing one's hands before and after handling animals as well as their food.

The star also pointed out that if one is not in a good health condition should avoid direct contact with your pets.

Many other Bollywood celebrities like director Rohit Shetty, actor Anushka Sharma, and Preity Zinta have urged the people to stop abandoning their pets in the light of coronavirus.

Growing misinformation is causing a lot of people to abandon their animal friends with many of them being deserted on the roads.

According to the latest data by the World Health Organisation (WHO) COVID-19 has globally claimed over 14,652 live and 3,34,981people have been tested positive for it.