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Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, tested positive for coronavirus last week, as the actor confirmed to Deadline himself. Fortunately, on Monday, he and Wilson were discharged from the Australian hospital where they’ve spent the past five days recovering and consuming copious amounts of Vegemite. They have reportedly entered self-quarantine in their rental house.
The 63-year-old Oscar winner is in Australia working on Baz Luhrman’s as-yet-untitled Elvis movie. On March 11, Warner Bros. told Deadline that it had become “aware that a company member” came down with the virus. The studio says it is “working closely with Australian health agencies to identify and contact anyone who may have come in direct contact with the individual,” who would appear to be the Beautiful Day in the Neighbor actor. Hanks released the following statement directly to Deadline:
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.
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?
We’ll keep the world posted and updated.
Take care of yourselves!
Per the Warner Bros. statement to Deadline, Hanks and Wilson are currently being treated. They are the first celebrities to report confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The couples’ sons addressed their parents’ illness on social media shortly after it became public knowledge. On the same night the news broke, Chet Hanks posted a video message on Instagram that begins, “Wassup everyone. Yeah, its true my parents got coronavirus. Crazy.” Chet went on to say he’s not too worried but appreciates the outpouring of concern: “They are both fine. They’re not even that sick. They’re not worried about it.”
A couple of hours later, a second son, Colin Hanks, tweeted out a message of his own, saying that Tom and Rita “are receiving excellent care in Australia and doing well (and in good spirts) given the circumstances.”
This post has been updated.