Prior to the revelation that Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, tested positive for coronavirus while on vacation in Australia on Wednesday, the couple had been fairly active around the continent. As part of Wilson’s travels across the city of Sydney, she stopped by the Australia’s Today to perform, which she posted about just two hours before her and Hanks’ diagnosis.
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“[Throw Me A Party] on [The Today Show], it was indeed a party,” she wrote in the caption. “Thanks for having me [David Campbell] and [Belinda Russell]. Australia, you’ve treated me so well!”
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Hanks made the announcement Wednesday night on Instagram, writing that he and Wilson “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,” Hanks continued. “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?”.
Hanks was busy getting ready to film a biopic of Elvis Presley, where he’s playing The King’s notoriously hard-nosed manager, Col. Tom Parker.
“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],” Warners Bros. said in a statement, according to Deadline.
The news of their infection came just minutes after President Donald Trump addressed the nation, stating he was instituting a travel ban from the U.S. to Europe for the next 30 days, as well as several propositions to offer financial relief to business and individuals.
Concerns about coronavirus have been steadily increased, as Wednesday also saw the World Health Organization upgrade the situation to an official pandemic, a classification that it stressed it did not take lightly.
“Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death,” said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
