'Grey's Anatomy' Star Ellen Pompeo Posts Dire Plea for People to Stay Home Due to Coronavirus Threat

Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo shared another important message during the coronavirus pandemic with her fans on Instagram. Pompeo, who plays Dr. Meredith Grey on the long-running ABC medical drama, reminded fans how important it is to stay home as the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow across the country. She said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office called her to share the message again today.

"I have been asked to make another video to ask everybody to please stay home," Pompeo told fans. "I've had a lot - too many - phone calls and emails from doctors and nurse friends of mine, even the Governor of New York, his office called today to ask me to help, once again, to get the word out for everybody to please stay home. Please!"

"The healthcare professionals, the doctors, the nurses, anyone who works in a hospital, they're at their wits end and now they're starting to die," Pompeo continued. "We're not doing enough. Everybody, just please stay home. And if you know someone who is not taking this seriously and who isn't staying home, please talk to them. We have to stay home. It's all their asking us to do. It's not that hard."

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A post shared by Ellen Pompeo (@ellenpompeo) on Apr 2, 2020 at 4:04pm PDT

This was not the first time Pompeo shared a plea with fans on Instagram during the outbreak. On March 13, she shared a message to the real-life health care workers out there saving lives in hospitals and asked them to stay safe.

"This is my nurses and doctors and all health care workers appreciation post," Pompeo said. "Many of us have the privilege to self-quarantine and isolate and try to stay healthy and none of you have that privilege. You all have to be on the front lines of this thing and what is certainly bad now, will most definitely get worse in the next couple of weeks."

"So this is just from me and my family to all of you, to say thank you," she added. "We appreciate you. We love you. Stay safe. Nurses rock. Doctors rock. And anyone who works in a hospital or the health care industry, you rock. We love you. Stay safe."

Cuomo has asked other celebrities to use their reach to tell fans how important it is to stay home. On March 22 and 23, his office shared videos made by Ben Stiller, LaLa Anthony, Danny DeVito and Robert DeNiro, who all asked New Yorkers to stay inside to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide reached 1 million on Thursday. In the U.S., there are more than 240,000 cases and more than 5,900 deaths from COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

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