In an emotional video he shared online, the Zac Brown Band frontman warns Americans that the longer they don't take the pandemic seriously, the longer everyone's going to be out of jobs.

• Mar 20, 2020

AceShowbiz - Country star Zac Brown is urging Americans to take the coronavirus outbreak very seriously after he was forced to fire most of his touring staff after show cancellations.

The Zac Brown Band frontman, who was forced to scrap his group's North American tour last week due to health and safety concerns, has taken to Instagram to reveal he had to let go of 90 percent of his longtime crew members.

"(These are) the people that I travelled with and grew my business with, the people I high five on the way out to the stage, the people that have done their jobs and done them well," an emotional Brown said in a video. "I hate having to make this call but I can't generate out there and I can't tour because of the coronavirus."

He also encouraged Americans to stop putting themselves and others at risk by continuing to go out rather than practice social distancing.

"I got this message that I want to say to the people that aren't taking this seriously and who are out partying, and the people that are out sitting on beaches and the people that don't care if they get this virus and bring it home to their grandparents and maybe kill their grandparents or complicate their lives: The longer that America doesn't take this seriously and doesn't stay in and try to contain this, the longer everyone's going to be out of jobs, the longer that we will be pushed into this recession that we're all about to enter into."