Kevin Bacon Launches Sweet 6 Degrees Campaign for People to Share Who They Are Staying Home For

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While health officials are encouraging people to stay at least six feet from one another, Kevin Bacon is reminding his fans that we are all just six degrees away as well — making these protocols that much more important.

On Wednesday, the Footloose star launched a sweet “Six Degrees” campaign to encourage people around the world to share who they are staying home for amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and social distancing.

“Hi, folks. You know me, right? I’m technically only six degrees away from you,” he said in a video on Instagram, referencing the popular game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” which he coopted to create his charity, Six Degrees.

“Right now, like people around the world, I’m staying home, because it saves lives and it is the only way we’re going to slow down the spread of this coronavirus,” the 61-year-old actor continued. “Because the contact that you make with someone, who makes contact with someone else, that may be what makes somebody’s mom or grandpa or wife sick.”

Bacon continued, telling his followers that “every one of us has someone who is worth staying home for,” adding that he is socially distancing to keep his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, 54, safe.

“I am staying home for Kyra Sedgwick,” he said while pulling out a sign that read “#IStayHomeFor Kyra Sedgwick.”

He then encouraged his followers to do the same, asking them to share a photo or a video with the hashtag explaining who they were staying home for and to tag six of their friends to follow suit.

“While you’re staying home, you need to post a video or a sign like this one saying who you’re going to stay home for and you tag six friends so they do the same. And since we’re all connected by various degrees, trust me, I know, we can work together to stay home and keep each other safe and spread the word,” the actor said.

Bacon then tagged Jimmy Fallon, Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Kevin Hart, Demi Lovato and David Beckham to share their own social distancing posts.

“The more folks involved, the merrier – because we’re all connected by various degrees (Trust me, I know!) So let’s work together to stay home if you can and keep each other safe,” Bacon added in the caption of his post.

Since sharing the post, several fans have used the hashtag to share who they are thinking of as they isolate during the pandemic. One fan revealed she was staying home for her young nephew who has cystic fibrosis, while another fan said he was doing so for his pets, who “need healthy parents.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, March 18, there have been at least 5,881 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 107 deaths in the United States, according to a New York Times database. Globally there have been over 201,000 cases and at least 8,204 people have died.