Chennai, Mar 17 (IANS): Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu has urged everyone to stay indoors, sacrifice social life and prioritise public safety to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

He took to Instagram and wrote: "Social distancing is the need of the hour! It's a tough call but we need to make it. This is time to sacrifice our social life and prioritize public safety. Stay indoors as much as you can and make the most of this phase with your family and loved ones. This will keep the virus from spreading and save many lives."

The "Maharshi" star also asked everyone to wash hands frequently.

"Ensure you wash your hands frequently and keep your environment clean. Use hand sanitisers as much as possible, use masks only if you think you are sick... Let's continue to follow all the necessary steps until this passes. We are in it together and we will see this through... Let's beat #COVID19 together... #StaySafe," he added.

Mahesh Babu is currently being lauded for his performance in the latest release "Sarileru Neekevvaru".