New Delhi, Apr 3 (IANS): Former India captain and Board of Control of Cricket in India President Sourav Ganguly on Friday appealed for people to stay indoors and maintain social distancing as India grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

"Stay indoors and maintain immunity. Remember social distancing is the new unity and most importantly, fighting coronavirus is our national duty," said Ganguly in a video that was tweeted by DD News.

"These are difficult times all around the world, in India and in various states of our country and it's important that we stand up. Yes the Prime Minister, the Chief Ministers and the health department is trying and the police have done a good job.

"But it's on us. It's on us to maintain isolation, respect their orders and stay safe and healthy. Remember if we are together and responsible, we can fight this. It's a very dangerous virus, something the world has never seen and something we might never see again. These are exceptional circumstances so be responsible, be healthy and most importantly, stay indoors," Ganguly said.

Earlier, Ganguly had announced that the BCCI contributed Rs 51 crore to the PM-CARES fund that has been setup to fight against coronavirus.

He was also among the sports personalities that Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with on Friday morning after he made his address to the nation.