Ellington

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Symptoms of the new coronavirus have subsided for Blues legend Bobby Rush, and now he's warning others about the seriousness of COVID-19.

“Stay in and sanitize…because it saves lives,” Rush told fans in a Facebook post Tuesday. He began feeling sick in February and was told to quarantine after falling ill following a performance in Nashville, Tennessee, news outlets reported.

Rush, 86, was never officially diagnosed with the coronavirus, but told news outlets that he experienced weakness, a cough and a high fever.

A doctor recently gave him a clean bill of health, but according to Rush, people shouldn't let their guards down.

"I know they are in the house and ready to party, (but) if they don’t stay in the house, they won’t have no party to go to,” Rush told WREG-TV in a phone interview.

Rush said he's looking forward to getting back on stage once it's safe for people to gather again. He's nominated for the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award at this year's Blues Music Awards, which will be held online next month due to the coronavirus pandemic.