Kevin Bacon wants to turn the "six degrees of separation" idea forever associated with him into a tool to fight the novel coronavirus. In an Instagram post, the actor urges people to use the concept to spread the word about the importance of staying home amid the outbreak to contain its spread, reports Rolling Stone. His instructions: He wants people to go online, post a video or photo of themselves displaying the name of a person they are staying home for, and tag six friends to do the same. He also asks that they use the hashtag #IStayHomeFor so he can share the posts.
"The more folks involved, the merrier," he says. "We’re all connected by various degrees—trust me, I know," he says. For the uninitiated, the "six degrees" concept suggests we are all linked to each through six or fewer acquaintances, and it has morphed into a version about Bacon's movie roles through the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." For the record, the person Bacon chose to stay home for is his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick, notes Deadline. "Let's use this 6 Degree thing to do some good!" he wrote on his video caption. (But maybe "six degrees" isn't quite right?)