Cast of 'Contagion' issues PSA on coronavirus pandemic

The cast of the 2011 global outbreak thriller "Contagion" banded together to create a public service announcement on the novel coronavirus pandemic that has infected hundreds of thousands across the globe.

Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Ehle were featured in the video, published Friday in partnership with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Each actor filmed themselves speaking about the importance of staying home, practicing social distancing when you do go out for essentials and listening to scientists. Their videos were compiled into the PSA.

"Everything you're gonna hear from us has been vetted by public health experts and scientists," Damon said in the video's opening line.

Fishburne explained that novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, needs humans to survive.

"Let's not give it any help," he said.

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Winslet asked the public to wash their hands "like your life depends on it," while Cotillard and Ehle spoke about the importance of listening to scientists and doctors and staying home.

"Contagion," centered around a fictional pandemic, has seen a spike in viewership amid the real-world pandemic.

For the PSA, the actors worked with the same experts who were consultants on the film.

There are more than 618,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases around the globe, a staggering jump from Thursday's total of closer to 500,000. At least 28,823 people have died, and at least 135,736 have recovered, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

What to know about Coronavirus:

• How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained
• What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms
• Tracking the spread in the US and Worldwide: Coronavirus map