Geneva—A range of sports stars and other celebrities have taken part in a World Health Organization social media campaign to show proper hand-washing practices in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus launched the #SafeHands campaign on Friday, showing off his own hand-washing prowess, and has challenged a long list of famous people to create their own videos.
Health experts say frequent and thorough hand-washing is one of the most important tools in the fight against COVID-19, which has killed more than 6,000 people worldwide.
In his video, FIFA chief Gianni Infantino urged people to help “kick out the virus”.
“Make sure you spread this message but not the virus,” he said.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker also took part, as did retired Brazil midfielder Kaka, Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani, and French-Swiss F1 driver Romain Grosjean.
Joanne O’Riordan, an Irish activist and sports journalist suffering from an extremely rare disorder that has left her missing her legs and arms, also took the challenge, showing off that “just because you don’t have hands, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wash them.”
The WHO said it was planning a number of similar campaigns on important topics linked with the outbreak going forward.
Meanwhile, in Sydney, Australia, Football Federation Australia decided Monday to press ahead with A-League games without fans because of the coronavirus pandemic, despite two teams who played in New Zealand at the weekend having to be quarantined.
The domestic tournament has six rounds left with organisers planning to condense the remaining matches into three or four weeks. The women’s W-League has only its final to play.
FFA chief executive James Johnson said the decision to keep going was made in consultation with clubs, while taking into account the latest government advice.
“The health and safety of all members of the football community, including players, coaches, referees, volunteers, administrators and fans continues to be of paramount importance,” he said.
“We will continue to work with the government and seek advice as the situation changes.”
Ten of the 11 teams in the A-League are Australian, with the exception of New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix who beat Melbourne Victory 3-0 in the New Zealand capital on Sunday.
Phoenix will travel to Sydney on Tuesday and undergo a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period, in line with new government rules for all arrivals.
The Australian team were unable to meet the quarantine deadline of midnight Sunday, meaning they too will have to self-isolate, a turn of events that was labelled “a disgrace” by the leader of the players’ union.
John Didulica said the team would not have gone to New Zealand if they had known about having to spend 14 days in isolation on their return, with the decision only announced by the government on Sunday.