Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita have tested positive for the coronavirus. The actor and his wife are in Australia as Hanks is filming a currently untitled Elvis Presley biopic and reportedly caught infected with the virus there.
“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,” the actor wrote on his social media profiles. Attached with the post was a picture of a surgical glove in a garbage basket.
“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?” he added, saying that he will keep the world posted.
This development comes a day after the World Health Organisation declared coronavirus as a ‘pandemic.’
"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we're deeply concerned, both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference in Geneva.
The number of cases in over 100 countries around the world has risen to more than 124,000, with over 4,500 deaths, including a jump in fatalities in Iran and Italy in particular, according to an AFP tally.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday also announced that a travel ban for all those coming from Europe to USA, with the exception of UK, stands suspended for 30 days. The restriction will come into place from 12 am on Friday.
“To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect from Friday midnight. These restrictions will be adjusted subject to conditions on the ground,” the US President said, addressing the nation.
India, too, on Wednesday suspended all visas, except a few categories such as diplomatic and employment, till April 15 in a bid to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, according to an official statement. The government also "strongly advised" Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The suspension will come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13 at the port of departure.
(With PTI inputs)