MANILA, Philippines – Actor Tom Hanks on Thursday disclosed that he and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“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,” Tom said in a Twitter post.
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) March 12, 2020
Tom said that he and his wife will be “tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires.”
The couple is in Australia for production of a new film on Elvis Presley helmed by Baz Luhrmann.
In this file photo Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson pose on the red carpet upon arrival for the world premiere of the film “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” in London on July 16, 2018. – Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have both tested positive for coronavirus, the US actor said Wednesday. Hanks, 63, said he and Wilson came down with a fever while in Australia, and will now be isolated and monitored. Photo by Anthony HARVEY / AFP
Tom is playing Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker, who groomed the popular singer to fame back in the 50s.
Australia has so far recorded 112 cases of COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019.
The virus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but can cause serious illness such as pneumonia for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.