Celebrity News March 11, 2020
Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson Test Positive for Coronavirus — Their Sons Speak
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Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson confirmed via Twitter late Wednesday that both have tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
In response to a Deadline report, Hanks posted an image of a rubber glove discarded in a medical-waste bag, along with the message, "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."
He went on to tell his followers, "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?"
He closed with, "We'll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!" and his signature sign-off, "Hanx!"
Their son Chet also gave an update on his parents in an Instagram video, saying, "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. But I don't think it's anything to be too worried about.”
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Tom's older son Colin also shared a message, writing, "My parents are receiving excellent care in Australia and are doing well (and in good spirits) given the circumstances." See his full post below.
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According to Deadline, Hanks and Wilson were in Australia for preproduction on director Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic, in which Hanks will play The King's colorful manager Colonel Tom Parker.
The movie's studio, Warner Bros., told Deadline it was "working closely with the appropriate Australian health agencies to identify and contact anyone who may have come in direct contact with the individual," referring to Hanks.
As for their underlying health conditions, Tom is living with Type II diabetes, while Rita has battled breast cancer in the past.
In January, "Extra's" Renee Bargh spoke with Hanks, who was recovering from a cold. He said, “I'm all over it. I drank a lot of soup and had my fluids.”
On the same day the A-list couple announced their status, the NBA suspended all games from Thursday on until further notice after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for COVID-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday confirmed that COVID-19 is now officially a pandemic, the first such designation since the swine flu aka H1N1 in 2009. It is present in 114 countries and has killed over 4,000 people, a disproportionate number of them elderly or with underlying conditions.
In a short prime-time address on Wednesday evening, President Trump announced a partial ban on travel to the U.S. from Europe — except for the U.K. — for the next 30 days, and a series of measures meant to target the economic impact of the virus.
He urged citizens to "wash your hands, clean often-used surfaces, cover your face and mouth if you sneeze or cough. Most of all, if you're sick or not feeling well, stay home." He canceled political events in Nevada and Colorado that had been scheduled for this week.
On Thursday, it was reported that a member of a delegation from Brazil who dined with Trump over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago has tested positive for the virus.
