Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson have revealed that they’ve both tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the first Hollywood celebrities to be stricken with COVID-19.
Hanks and Wilson are currently in Australia, where he broke the news in a statement issued to ET Canada.
“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,” the two-time Oscar winner wrote.
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“Well, now. What to do next?” Hanks continued. “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?”
Hanks concluded by writing, “We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!”
Hanks also shared the statement with his Instagram followers.
Despite not naming the couple, a Queensland Health official said Thursday that all new reported infections were non-contact cases and that the patients were believed to have “contracted the illness outside Australia and travelled to Queensland with the virus,” the Hollywood Reporter claimed.
Hanks and Wilson, who are believed to have contracted the virus in the U.S. or in transit from there, were thought to have been in Australia for at least a week before their diagnosis.
Hanks’ son Colin shared on Twitter:
Hanks and Wilson’s son Chet also released a video message giving fans an update.
“Wassup everyone. Yea, it’s true my parents got coronavirus. Crazy,” he shared. “They’re both down in Australia right now ’cause my dad was shooting a movie down there. I just got off the phone with them. They both are fine. They’re not even that sick. They’re not worried about it. They’re not trippin’ but they’re going through the necessary health precautions, obviously.”
He finished up by saying, “I don’t think it’s anything to be too worried about. I appreciate everyone’s concern and the well wishes. I think it’s all going to be all right. I appreciate it. Everybody stay safe out there. Much love.”
Hanks and Wilson jetted out to Australia for pre-production on Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley film. Hanks is set to play the musician’s longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker.
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On Thursday, Hanks shared an update, thanking “everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us.”
He added: “We have COVID-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no?”
Hanks signed off with one of his most memorable movie lines, from “A League of Their Own”, writing: “Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball.”
The couple add to a total, as of Wednesday evening, of more than 126,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide.
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Hanks and Wilson are both 63 years old; according to the Centers for Disease Control, those aged 60 and older are considered to among those at higher risk when contracting the virus.
