Just two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have returned home to Los Angeles. E! Online reports that the couple was spotted driving together on Friday as a source close to the situation confirmed that the couple was, in fact, back in the U.S.
Hanks first announced via his Instagram on March 11, while he and Wilson were on location 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 wrote in the caption.
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“The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed,” he continued. “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?”
While the couple were in quarantine, they appeared to maintain their good spirits. Hanks posted about taking part in online ‘couch parties,’ while Wilson encouraged her fans to text her. “Feel free to text me to my cell phone number, it is me, I will get it to you and I will get back to you in due time, ’cause I’m gonna be probably spending a lot of time on text,” she posted, including her actual phone number.
As a number of celebrities have come forward about their own diagnosis since then, both Hanks and Wilson were the first two high-profile celebrities affected by the coronavirus, which came at a time when people were hoping that their diagnoses would motivate people to start taking the situation seriously. Especially considering the post came just hours after The World Health Organization had officially declared it a global pandemic.
Citing Hanks as an inspiration, Idris Elba also came forward to confirm that he also had tested positive. He also used his platform to field questions from fans, as well as shoot down any conspiracy theories that have cropped up in recent weeks.
As of Friday, there have been 85,356 cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., with 1,246 deaths, according to The CDC. While a number of people continue to self-isolate to help slow the spread, the agency offers a number of helpful tips on how to stay safe and prepared in the coming weeks.
