Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks said he and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, tested positive for coronavirus in Australia. Reuters reported that they were at a film shoot when the duo came down with cold and body aches.
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) March 12, 2020
Hanks tweeted: “Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive. Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no? We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!”
The film under production is by Warner Bros. The company put out a statement: “We have been made aware that a company member from our Elvis feature film, which is currently in pre-production in The Gold Coast, Australia, has tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus). We are working closely with the appropriate Australian health agencies to identify and contact anyone who may have come in direct contact with the individual. The health and safety of our company members is always our top priority, and we are taking precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world.”
With a surge in cases, especially in countries like South Korea and Italy, the WHO had said the coronavirus outbreak could be characterised as a pandemic. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was alarmed by the spread and severity of the outbreak, along with a lack of action taken to combat it. “COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic,” he told reporters in Geneva. He said he expected the number of cases and deaths would grow in the coming days and weeks. “We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus,” he said. He also said hard-hit Iran was trying its best to control the outbreak but needed more supplies.