Chennai: Twitter on Saturday removed a video uploaded by actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to 'Janata Curfew' after the microblogging website found factual discrepancies in his post about the cycle of infection of the novel coronavirus, which has claimed more than 10,000 lives around the world so far.
In the video, Rajinikanth had said the 14-hour window of total social distancing was necessary to curb the spread of virus. The statement violated Twitter’s rules on misinformation.
"To prevent community transmission, the virus needs to be curbed totally for 12 to 14 hours," he added.
According to scientists, droplets that fall from a person's sneeze can possibly remain on a surface for days. A person can contract infection by touching a surface or object with the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.
Rajinikanth also put out a tweet urging people to stay indoors and support Modi's call to stay at home from 7am to 9pm on Sunday. This tweet still remains on his social media page.
Rajinikanth said the virus was in its second stage in India, appealing to people to stay indoors so that it can be prevented from entering the third stage — that of community transmission.
"We can prevent the virus entering third stage if people stay indoors and for that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced Janata Curfew on March 22," the 69-year-old actor said in a video message.
The Italian government had announced a similar curfew but people did not heed it and because of that a lot of lives were lost to the pandemic; a similar situation should not occur in India, the veteran actor said.
"Everyone, including senior citizens and youngsters, should extend their cooperation on March 22," he said.
Rajinikanth also praised medical professionals, saying they were working selflessly to prevent the spread of the virus and "as per the words of Prime Minister let us join to appreciate them and pray for their well-being at 5 pm on March 22".
Meanwhile, actor-politician Kamal Haasan encouraged people to follow 'social distancing' to prevent the spread of the virus and appealed to them not to take part in large gatherings.
"By following that, you are preventing the virus from affecting you and your dear ones," the Makkal Needhi Maiam president said in a video message.
"Stay indoors and ensure you spend time with family and try to be responsible. Maintain social distance and stay safe," Haasan added.
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