The skies of Sydney read 'wash hands' recently amidst Coronavirus outbreak. The message encouraging personal hygiene appeared in the skies at around 3 pm local time on Thursday afternoon. It is not known who wrote the message in the skies. Twitter user Chris Dugan recorded a video and posted on Twitter with the caption, "A message to Sydney! Wash your hands, ya filthy animals!" teh video was quick to go viral and generated various reactions on social media platforms. Varying opinions flooded Twitter as the clip went viral. Coronavirus Outbreak in Australia: Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton Tests Positive for COVID-19.

One of the comments read, "What a time to be alive." Australia has reported 160 confirmed cases and three deaths. The video has over 1,200 views and continues to go viral. Australia on Thursday unveiled that they will be spending US$11 billion to curb the economic hit from the COVID 19 pandemic. As Coronavirus spreads, schools and universities in Australia are planning to shut down to keep the virus at bay. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that mass gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled. But, schools, universities, public transport and airports were exempted from the advice. Coronavirus Precautions: Hand Sanitizer vs Hand Washing, Which Is a Better Option to Protect Against COVID-19?

Sydney Skies Read 'Wash Hand':

Announcing the decision, Scott Morrison said, "We are taking an abundance of caution approach, which is what we have all the way through. What we are seeking to do is to lower the level of overall risk, and at the same time ensure that we minimise any broader disruption that is not necessary at this stage to engage in."

World Health Organisation (WHO) also recently declared COVID-19 as a pandemic after the disease spread across several countries, causing more than 5,000 deaths globally.  Italy's death toll crossed 1,000 on Thursday, with 189 new fatalities taking teh toll to 1,016, only second behind China.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 13, 2020 08:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).