Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson test positive for coronavirus
The son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson has revealed how they are doing as they languish in isolation following their shock diagnosis with the novel coronavirus, saying “they’re not tripping” over the “crazy” situation and thanking fans for their well wishes.
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SEVEN more cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Queensland, including American Actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson.
Hanks and Wilson are in quarantine in the Gold Coast University Hospital.
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The new cases take the number of people who have had the virus in Queensland to 27.
Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles and his director-general John Wakefield told media all seven new cases, including Hanks and his wife, contracted COVID-19 overseas and travelled to Qld already infected.
Hanks, a two-time Academy Award winner, took to his Instagram saying he and his wife had been sick and tested positive for the disease.
Their 29-year-old son Chet Hanks took to Instagram to say he had gotten off the phone with his parents and urged fans not to be too worried about their shock diagnosis.
He said the diagnosis was “crazy” but that his parents are “fine”.
“Yeah, it’s true my parents got coronavirus. Crazy,” he said in a video to his 199k followers.
“They’re both down in Australia right now cause my dad was shooting a movie down there. But I just got off the phone with them. They both are fine, they’re not even that sick. They’re not worried about it. They’re not tripping but they’re going through the necessary health precautions obviously.”
Chet went on to say he didn’t think the diagnosis was anything to be “too worried about”.
“I appreciate everyone’s concern and well wishes. I think it’s all going to be alright.”
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s 24-year-old son Truman has also been spotted in Australia with his parents.
Mr Miles described the infectious diseases ward at the Gold Coast hospital as one of the best in the world.
Dr Wakefield told a news conference: “Whether you’re from Hollywood or Helensvale you will get great care in our health system.”
The Gold Coast set of Baz Luhrmann’s blockbuster Elvis Presley biopic has been shut down after confirmation of the news.
“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,” Hanks wrote on Instagram.
“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!”
The Courier-Mail understands all cast and crew working on the Baz Luhrmann biopic at Village Roadshow Studios were sent a memo from the production asking them to stay home and informing them that all work on the production had been “cancelled and will not resume until further notice”.
The big-budget film, in which Hanks will star as Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker, was in pre-production with cameras due to roll later this month.
A letter to the Elvis crew this morning outlined that due to a confirmed coronavirus case involving a crew member the film had ceased production.
Mr Luhrmann told all crew and actors to stay home today in a letter seen by The Courier-Mail.
“Be assured we will keep you updated as that information develops,” Mr Luhrmann wrote in his alert letter.
“We request all cast and crew stay at home today and not come to work. All work activity on the production is cancelled and will not resume until further notice.
“We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and we will be following up with more details over the next several hours.
“On a personal note, please know that the health and well-being of our entire company is our absolute focus at this time. Many thanks for your support as we manage this difficult situation.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said his daughter Emily, who works in the film industry and
was working on the Elvisbiopic, was in self-isolation at home with other set workers after Hanks tested positive.
He said if his daughter and other film workers tested negative for coronavirus, they would
return to work.
Cr Tate sent his best to Hanks and his wife on behalf of the city.
“Our heart goes out to Tom and his wife and I’m sure they’ll get the best care our hospital can deliver,” he said.
“All the people who are on set have gone home and self-quarantined,” Cr Tate said.
“Of course I rang my daughter to see how she is, so she’s at home self-quarantining as well.”
Mayor Tate revealed Hanks was tested ‘very early’ this morning and once the positive test was confirmed and all workers had arrived on set, ‘the news was delivered by Baz Luhrmann himself’.
“Everyone was to go home and that happened very early, very fast,” he said.
A Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson released a statement today saying the production was working with health agencies in Australia.
“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). 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.”
The film was already delayed by nearly two weeks after recent rain events flooded part of the Gold Coast studio.
The studio which has been shut down is 3km from any Gold Coast theme parks which are unaffected by the confirmed case.
Wilson was in Brisbane last Thursday performing her new album Halfway to Home at the Emporium Hotel in South Bank, where Hanks watched on.
They then travelled to Sydney for her show at the Sydney Opera House over the weekend.
They were spotted at Sydney Harbour and going for a walk at Bondi Beach.
The couple took a privately chartered boat tour in Sydney Harbour on board the Spectre, which has ceased operations today pending test results.
Wilson also performed on the Today show in Sydney on Monday.
“We are taking all the appropriate precautions according to the government guidelines and supporting our people,” a Channel 9 spokesperson said.
Coincidentally, Hanks and Wilson had been rumoured to be staying at Peppers Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, where Queensland’s first coronavirus case, a Chinese national, was detected on January 28.
QUEENSLAND’S 27 CONFIRMED CORONAVIRUS CASES:
* 5 cases were from a tour group originating in Wuhan, China – a boy, 8, men aged 37 and 44 and women aged 37 and 42.
* 3 cases were from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. They tested positive after being evacuated to Darwin and then flown back to Queensland Hospitals for treatment. All are women aged 54, 55 and 57.
* 3 cases are people returned from Iran – a woman aged 63 and men aged 26 and 28.
* 1 case is a 20-year-old Chinese University of Queensland student who returned to Brisbane via Dubai.
* 1 case is a man who returned from Thailand, aged 81.
* 1 case is a woman who returned to Brisbane from London, with a short stopover in Singapore, aged 29.
* 2 cases from the Sunshine Coast hinterland, a couple aged 38 and 42. The 38-year-old had recently returned from London via Dubai.
* 1 case is a woman who travelled to Austria and France, aged 46.
* 2 cases involving a university student who travelled to Spain, Italy and France. A 19-year-old developed COVID-19 after close contact with the 22-year-old student.
* 2 cases are a woman who travelled to the United States of America, and a man who is a close contact of this woman, both aged in their early 30s.
* 2 cases are the celebrity couple Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, both in their 60s, who recently travelled from the US.
* 1 case is a 37-year-old man from Brisbane who had recently travelled from Geneva, Switzerland, through Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
* 1 case is a 40-year-old man from Brisbane who had recently returned from the UK.
* 1 case is a 24-year-old man from Brisbane who had recently returned from the US.
* 1 case is a 56-year-old woman who had recently returned from Indonesia.
Originally published as Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson test positive for coronavirus