After coronavirus hits Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, officials scramble to trace people who shook couple's hands
In what comes as an unfortunate piece of news, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for coronavirus. The couple was in Australia working on Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis Presley film for Warner Bros. Queensland Health authorities are now running around to trace people from Brisbane, Sydney and the Gold Coast who may have been exposed to the virus after having shook hands with the couple. Seven new cases were reported in the state on March 12.
A Deadline report saw Hanks give out a statement: "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 require. 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! — Tom Hanks."
His son Chet Hanks took to Twitter following the news. "It's true, my parents got Coronavirus, crazy," he said. "I just got off the phone with them, they're fine. They're not worried about it, They're not trippin'. I appreciate everyone for the concern and well wishes."
Warner Bros provided a complete statement that read: "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)."
It also added: "We are working closely with the appropriate Australian health agencies to identify and contact anyone who may have come in direct contact with the individual. The health and safety of our company members is always our top priority, and we are taking precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world. The individual who tested positive for COVID-19 is currently receiving treatment."
This incident makes Hanks the first celebrity to be affected by the deadly virus. Meanwhile, the untitled Elvis Presley movie is scheduled to open on October 1, 2021.