Before testing positive for the coronavirus, or COVID-19, Tom Hanks was having a “wonderful time” in Australia, according to Annastacia Palaszczuk, MP Premier of Queensland and Minister for Trade. Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, had traveled to Australia’s Gold Coast to begin pre-production on Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley biopic, which he stars in, and had been there for about a week before being admitted to a Queensland’s hospital.
“Tom has been having a wonderful time on the Gold Coast and we are so lucky to have Tom in Queensland,” Palaszczuk said during a press conference, according to PEOPLE.
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“These people who’ve come in very close contact with him in recent days and what they will do now, is our experts will work very closely with him, with Baz and all of the crew and then they will self-isolate those people who’ve been in that close proximity,” she added.
Among those currently quarantined are staff on Australian morning talk show Today Extra who had “prolong contact” with Wilson, who had appeared on the program earlier this week to perform a song from her new album. Although host David Campbell said that Wilson “didn’t show symptoms or anything,” he, his co-host Belinda Russell, and several others are being sent into self-isolation for 14 days, according to Nine Network.
“Nine today has taken action in line with our crisis response plan around a visit to our studio by Ms Rita Wilson on Monday this week, for an appearance on Today Extra with David Campbell and Belinda Russell,” the network said in a statement.
“Our actions are in line with the guidelines set out by the Government and Health Authorities,” the statement continued. “Those who were in prolonged contact with Ms Wilson have been tested and are self-isolating for 14 days.”
“Our premises is currently being thoroughly cleaned in all areas she visited and we are encouraging our employees to monitor their health and practice good hygiene,” it concluded.
It is unclear if any cast members or crew from the Presley biopic are being quarantined. Production on the film has since been halted, and Warner Bros. confirmed in a statement that 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.”
Hanks and Wilson revealed their diagnoses Wednesday, explaining that they “felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches.” They “will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires” and that they are currently taking “a one-day-at-a-time approach.”
