PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – West Indies batting legend Brian Lara has joined the fight against the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with a video message to his fans around the cricket world, offering a bit of advice on staying safe as the virus spreads.

In the minute-long video posted to Instagram where he has close to 335 000 followers and on his Facebook page which is followed by more than 330 000, the 50-year-old double world record holder gives a detailed demonstration of the effective way of washing both hands with soap and water.

“This is real! Before you touch your face always wash your hands. Make sure you get that soap in…. This will not just benefit you but everyone around you. Let’s fight COVID-19 together,” said the Trinidadian who is currently away from his homeland.

The spread of COVID-19 has resulted in several major sporting events being cancelled or postponed, globally and across the region.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) last weekend announced the suspension of the last two rounds of the Regional Four Day Championship and an entire suite of youth tournaments for the next 30 days; while the region’s premier junior track and field meet, the CARIFTA Games, scheduled for next month in Bermuda, has been postponed.

Lara’s COVID-19 outreach video mirrors that of Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar who posted a similar video from inside a hotel room.

In the Twitter video referring to what he called the #SafeHandsChallenge, he says: “One simple thing we can do to keep the virus from spreading is to keep our hands clean. It is mandatory to wash hands with soap for 20 seconds. Always wash your hands thoroughly”.

Tendulkar’s video received over 41 000 views and was retweeted close to 1 250 times within five hours after he posted it.

After showing up in China in November 2019, COVID-19 has spread to scores of other countries, including several in the Caribbean. Aruba, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Jamaica, Martinique, Saint Barthelemy, St Lucia, Saint Martin, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela have all reported cases of the virus that has claimed more than 7 426 lives globally.