Practice social distancing but not isolate COVID-19 +ve patients: Sachin Tendulkar

Former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said that as a community we should take care of the coronavirus positive patients while taking all the precautions so that they do not feel isolated from the society.

Taking to Twitter he posted a video and said: "We as a community are responsible for ensuring that those who have tested positive receive all our love and care and don't feel any stigma. Take all the necessary precautions but don't make them feel unwanted. We must practice social distancing but we should not isolate them from our society. We can win this war against coronavirus only by supporting each other and knowing the right thing to do."

Earlier in the day, the 46-year-old veteran batsman pledged to donate Rs 25 lakh each to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra's Relief Fund to aid the battle against COVID-19.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to impose a 21-day lockdown in the country as a precautionary measure against coronavirus.

"In view of the current situation, the nationwide total lockdown will be in place for 21 days -- three weeks. It is a kind of a curfew," the Prime Minister had said during his second address to the nation.

"If we are not able to manage the upcoming 21 days (of nationwide complete lockdown), we will be pushed back 21 years," he had added.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases have risen to 724 in India (including 640 active cases, 66 cured or discharged people) and 17 deaths. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had termed the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic on March 11.