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More and more high-profile celebrities are urging their fans and everyone else to take personal responsibility and reduce the spread of the coronavirus by following official guidelines. During a recent press conference where he promoted his upcoming movie, Greyhound, legendary actor Tom Hanks encouraged people to do their bit in the fight against the global pandemic.

“There’s really only three things we can do in order to get to tomorrow: Wear a mask, social distance, wash our hands,” the actor said. He also didn’t hold back and shamed those people who don’t do these things. Will Hanks’ words have an impact on the coronavirus infection rate which has been increasing in the past few weeks? We’ll see.

Bored Panda reached out to celebrity expert Mike Sington to hear his take on what Hanks said. “Bravo! Good for Tom Hanks! His approach to the necessity of wearing a face mask is very direct, and that’s what we need. Some people still aren’t getting the message. They’re not wearing masks, and Hanks points out that’s a selfish act. He’s making it personal, which is what some people need. Our lives and livelihood depend on it,” Mike explained. Scroll down for the rest of the interview.

Hanks isn’t the first celebrity to speak about Covid-19 in recent days. Have a look through our article about what actress Jennifer Aniston said about wearing face masks right here.

In a recent press conference, Tom Hanks shamed people who don’t wear masks and don’t take social distancing seriously

Image credits: Deutsche Bank

“Those things are so simple, so easy, if anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things—I just think shame on you,” Hanks said during the conference.

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“Don’t be a p****, get on with it, do your part. It’s very basic. If you’re driving a car, you don’t go too fast, you use your turn signal and you avoid hitting pedestrians. My Lord, it’s common sense,” an exasperated Hanks added.

Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson both caught the coronavirus in March and have recovered since then. They continue to self-isolate

Image credits: tomhanks

Image credits: ritawilson

Image credits: John Bauld

Image credits: ritawilson

Hollywood’s Ultimate Insider Mike told Bored Panda that Hanks is seen as the main celeb authority on the coronavirus because he was the first star to let everyone know that he tested positive for Covid-19.

“That really caught our attention. He’s also one of the most well-respected celebrities overall in Hollywood. People tend to listen to someone they’ve always trusted, and who’s thought of as an authority on a subject,” the celebrity expert said.

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“To push the message even more, I’d recommend he post some photos of himself wearing a face mask in public. A visual like that would be widely distributed and very impactful because the public does remember him as the first celebrity to contract the disease, and here he is still fighting the spread today. It definitely would make you stop and think.”

Hanks donated his plasma because it contains antibodies that can help people in the fight against the coronavirus

Image credits: tomhanks

Image credits: tomhanks

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Image credits: tomhanks

Hanks believes that wearing face masks, washing your hands, and maintaining a safe distance from other people are all very basic things that everyone can do

Image credits: John Bauld

In case you’ve forgotten, dear Pandas, 63-year-old Oscar winner Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson both tested positive for Covid-19 in March while in Australia. They’ve both since recovered and they’re continuing to self-isolate in Los Angeles.

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The actor said that he and his wife had around 10 days of “very uncomfortable symptoms” that weren’t life-threatening. “I guess we were model recoverers from Covid-19, but we were also isolated so that we would not give it to anybody else that we came in contact with, and since then have been doing the same isolating, social distancing that is being asked of the world so, we are fine.”

The movie Greyhound, starring Hanks as US Navy commander Captain Ernest Krause who is given his first wartime assignment, will debut on July 10 on Apple TV+.

Here’s how people reacted to Hanks sharing his opinion about wearing face masks

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