Mariska Hargitay Joins #IStayHomeFor Challenge as She Urges Fans to Join Hands in the Fight against Coronavirus

Mariska Hargitay has joined Kevin Bacon's #IStayHomeFor campaign and is appealing to her fans to do the same.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star Mariska Hargitay has joined actor Kevin Bacon's #IStayHomeFor Challenge and appeals to fans to follow her lead.

The campaign, which encourages people to adhere to social distancing in order to slow the Covid-19 pandemic, has now gathered many more supporters.

Mariska has expressed her concern for victims of domestic violence, who may end up quarantined with their abusers

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIALDISTANCING

The #IStayHomeFor campaign hopes to make people aware of the importance of social distancing in slowing the spread of Covid-19 and flattening the curve of the infected.

Mariska has been campaigning for fans to stay home for the sake of those around them who are high risk. She posted a compelling photo of herself and her husband Peter Hermann holding a sign in which it is handwritten:

"#ISTAYHOME because -- it is the right thing to do; --to do my part; -- because we can only do this TOGETHER. PLEASE, PLEASE stay home."

In her Twitter and on her Instagram accounts, Mariska, like Kevin Bacon, and other celebrities, has been actively alerting the public to the ongoing dangers, and the snowballing spread of the disease through American cities.

SVU CONCERNS

Mariska, who has been playing Special Victims Unit NYPD officer Olivia Benson for 21 years, has become a fierce advocate of victims' rights. As such, Mariska has expressed her concern for victims of domestic violence, who may end up quarantined with their abusers.

SVU CAST MEMBER SUCCUMBS TO COVID-19

SVU costumer Josh Wallwork, passed away from complications of the Coronavirus, bringing home the desperate necessity of social distancing to the cast and crew of the hit series. Mariska eulogized Wallwork on Twitter:

"I don’t think I ever saw him without a smile on his face. He brought love and kindness everywhere he went. Always ready with the joke."

Wallwork was just 45, and his case exemplifies the danger Covid-19 represents not just to the elderly, but to all those who are high risk because of underlying conditions such as chronic lung disease, asthma, heart conditions, diabetes, renal failure, and liver disease.

According to the CDC people who are severely obese (body mass index [BMI] >40), or are immunocompromised by cancer treatment or prolonged use of corticosteroids and similar medications are also on the high-risk list.

People - including children - who have had a bone marrow or organ transplantation and are on medication that suppresses their immune system to prevent rejection are also at risk, as are HIV and AIDS with a high viral count.

WASH YOUR HANDS

Mariska extolls people to wash their hands and to take at least 20 seconds to perform this task effectively. This simplest of procedures has proven to be one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the virus.

MARISKA HARGITAY THANKS GOVERNOR CUOMO

Mariska expressed her admiration for New York's State Governor Andrew Cuomo who has the extension of the NYS On Pause measures for another to weeks, to be reviewed on April 15.

Cuomo's measures require that all non-essential personnel in the workforce to work from home closed restaurants and all places of public gathering such as theaters and malls to close.

SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES

The Governor also announced that the State will permit schools to offer daycare free of charge to the children of essential personnel such as health care workers, sanitation workers, first responders, law enforcement and all those performing essential functions.

The Governor also announced that pharmacies in the State have agreed to offer free home delivery of essential medication to reduce the danger to people standing in line who might be high-risk or already contaminated.

#I STAY HOME FOR

As

, while Covid-19 might be asymptomatic in some, and present with mild symptoms in others, it can be fatal to many loved ones with high-risk conditions.

It is to protect their loved ones that social distancing is essential. As Mariska so aptly put it, we can only do this together.