Who gave Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson the coronavirus?
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson rubbed shoulders with multiple A-listers, including Oprah and the Jonas Brothers, days before testing positive.
News of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s coronavirus diagnosis has sent shudders through Hollywood — not least because authorities believe the couple either caught the virus in the US or en route to Australia.
As local health officials scramble to track down everyone who came into contact with the couple on the Gold Coast, where Hanks was filming Baz Lurhmann’s Elvis biopic, and in Sydney and Brisbane where Wilson performed shows, similar scenes are playing out in Los Angeles.
The couple’s social media accounts show they rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s biggest stars — including Oprah Winfrey, the Jonas Brothers and Renée Zellweger — during a trip to LA before they tested positive for the virus in Australia.
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) March 13, 2020
Hanks and Wilson, both 63, were among seven people who tested positive for the virus in Queensland on Thursday. The state’s virus toll has since risen to 35, with eight new cases on Friday including Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.
All seven diagnosed on Thursday had recently travelled to Australia from overseas, or were in close contact with someone who had, and it is believed they contracted the virus outside of the country.
On Thursday morning, Warner Bros released a statement saying a cast member on the Elvis film had tested positive for the virus and that precautions were being taken to ensure the safety of other crew members.
“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 statement, which did not mention Hanks, said.
If the couple contracted the virus in the US, rather than on the flight back to Australia, it raises the possibility they were infectious while asymptomatic.
It is believed the incubation period of COVID-19 is between five and 14 days with an average of 5.1 days. However, there have been cases of patients developing falling ill up to 27 days after exposure.
WHERE HANKS AND WILSON WENT IN LA
On February 6, Hanks and Wilson flew back for the Oscars, where he was nominated for best supporting actor for his role in A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood.
The ceremony took place on February 9 — more than three weeks before the couple fell ill in Australia.
On February 28, Wilson was a guest of honour at a star-studded breast cancer fundraising extravaganza held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in LA.
“An Unforgettable Evening” raised more than US$1.8 million (A$2.86 million) for the Women’s Cancer Research Fund — a charity important to Wilson, a breast cancer survivor who underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction in 2015.
She was photographed with some of the biggest names in the business, including musician Nick Jonas, actor Ken Jeong, designer and supermodel mentor Tom Ford and actor Renée Zellweger.
“LA, you blow me away with your generosity,” Wilson wrote on Instagram.
“We raised so much money for breast cancer research tonight! @wcrfcure @bcrfcure THANK YOU! @jonasbrothers performed and rocked the house. Everyone dancing! @nickjonas @joejonas @kevinjonas thank you so much!
“Our emcee, real life doctor and fantastic actor @kenjeong you’re the best! @tomford #richardbuckley you’re the most fun dinner partners #reneezellweger Your speech was so beautiful.
“Thank you for being our Woman of Courage recipient tonight. @mozellamusic @rodaworld so happy you we’re both there shining your lights! Let’s find a cure. We can never give up!”
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It is not clear exactly when the couple returned to Australia but Hanks was snapped with fans on the Gold Coast on February 29 while his wife, who was still Instagramming from LA in early March, appears to have followed a few days later.
On March 1, Wilson posted a video of herself stuck in traffic on an LA highway en route to Oprah’s spoken word show.
“Riding on old town road to get to you but our horse is stuck in traffic,” she wrote, tagging the talk show queen in the caption.
In a bizarre twist, Winfrey lost her balance and fell over on stage mid-performance, although there is no indication the tumble was the result of an illness. The LA Time Espanol posted a video of the incident on its Instagram page.
WHERE TOM HANKS ND RITA WILSON WENT IN AUSTRALIA
Tom Hanks has been in Australia for several weeks filming Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic.
He arrived on the Gold Coast on January 26 and has been spotted at several holiday hot spots across Queensland and New South Wales.
On January 29, he took a selfie with a fan on a Gold Coast beach. On January 31, he then waved to photographers as he strolled along the beach at Broadbeach.
On February 2, he dined at Mavis’ Kitchen & Cabins at Mount Warning. The next day he popped into Bon Bon bar at Mermaid Beach in February, where he took a fun photo with two young diners.
On February 6, Hanks flew back to the United States for the Oscars, where he was nominated for best supporting actor for his role in A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood.
He was then pictured back on the Gold Coast on February 29, taking a photo with two more fans.
On March 5, Wilson performed a concert in Brisbane at the Emporium Hotel in South Bank.
The luxury hotel is now taking “active steps” to brief its staff, general manager Charles Martin said.
“Extra hygiene precautions were already in place since the first international outbreak of coronavirus in January,” he told The Courier Mail.
Wilson and Hanks were then spotted enjoying a beer at the Bondi RSL in Sydney on March 6 before Wilson performed at the Sydney Opera House on March 7.
“Performing at this iconic place is unlike any other. And the warmth of the audience made me feel so welcome. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of herself next to the building’s famous steps.
More than 200 people attended the show and organisers said they were getting in touch with anyone who had close contact with the couple.
On March 9, Hanks and Wilson enjoyed a boat tour around Sydney Harbour, taking photos at Bondi Beach and again outside the Opera House.
Wilson also paid a visit to Channel 9’s studios in Sydney, where she performed and was interviewed by presenters David Campbell and Belinda Russell on the Today Extra show.
Campbell, Russell and all other staff members who had “prolonged” contact with the star have now been asked to self-isolate.
“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 on Thursday.
“Our actions are in line with the guidelines set out by the government and health authorities.
“Those who were in prolonged contact with Ms Wilson have been tested and are self-isolating for 14 days.”
Campbell told 2GB he did not shake hands with Wilson when she visited, and she had shown no obvious symptoms at the time.
“She came into the Today Extra studios on Monday and she was delightful and really nice and she didn’t have any symptoms of anything,” he said.
“She was cautious. She actually made a joke coming into the studios, saying we shouldn’t shake hands, we should bump elbows. So we bumped elbows.”
Tracy Grimshaw, who is recovering from surgery, had no contact with Wilson but did not host A Current Affair on Thursday night “as a precaution”, Nine said.
Wilson had her hair and makeup done in the same room Grimshaw uses as a dressing room, The Australian reports.
A total 126 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed across Australia, with 64 in New South Wales, 18 in Victoria, 17 in Queensland, 8 in South Australia, 7 in Western Australia and 2 in Tasmania.
The majority of cases are reported to have had a “direct or indirect travel link” to countries including the US, UK, China, Iran and Italy, according to the Department of Health.
BEAUTICIAN GIVEN ALL CLEAR
A Sydney beautician says she’s been given the “all clear” by NSW Health after taking a selfie with actor Tom Hanks just days before he tested positive for the coronavirus.
“We can all breathe. I can’t deal,” Val Flores wrote on Facebook.
Flores ran into Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson at Mr Wong, a popular Cantonese restaurant in Sydney’s CBD, on March 8.
“Selfie done by Tom Hanks himself. Wow … Hollywood royalty in Sydney. Only people to have pics with Tom Hanks and his gorgeous wife Rita Wilson,” she wrote online, alongside two pictures of herself with the stars.
But just four days later, Hanks announced on Instagram that he and Rita had tested positive for COVID-19 after feeling unwell.
“We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too,” he said on Instagram.
“To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive.”
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Health authorities advise anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person to self isolate for 14 days. But close contact is defined as at least 15 minutes of face-to-face interaction or at least two hours in the same closed space, meaning Flores was given the all clear.
“All clear from NSW Health. Minor casual contact under 15 minutes, no body contact was made, and no symptoms,” she wrote on Facebook.
A spokesman for Merivale, which owns Mr Wong, said all staff that were “within one metre of Mr Hanks and his part” are in “self-isolation” and would not be back at work until it was deemed “appropriate”.
Meanwhile, celebrities including Tim Allen, Ellen DeGeneres, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Mia Farrow, rushed to wish the stars a speedy recovery.
“Woody, I should have made you two wear my space suits! You and Rita rest and get well!” said Allen, who played Buzz Lightyear alongside Hanks in Disney’s Toy Story.
I told Tom and Rita that Buzz offered a couple of spacesuits if they need them.
— Tim Allen (@ofctimallen) March 12, 2020
Seriously rest up and get well! pic.twitter.com/tsmxbS8IZk
“Wishing you both a speedy recovery, and sending lots of love,” DeGeneres said.
American comedian Whitney Cummings joked: “I mean Tom Hanks is who would play the guy in the movie about coronavirus.”
“It’s like it picked the celebrity we cared the most about to make a point,” she added.
Actor Jameela Jamil meanwhile praised Hanks for his “calm” announcement on social media.
“A calm and sensibly informative note from the man I wish was president. Hope they feel better soon, and glad they are in good, sanitised hands #Hanks2024,” she tweeted.
Hanks’ son Colin also moved to assure fans on Twitter that his parents were in good hands.
“My parents are receiving excellent care in Australia and are doing well (and in good spirits) given the circumstances,” he said.
“Despite the fact that I’m in LA and haven’t seen them in over three weeks, we have been in constant contact and am confident that they will make a full recovery.”
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