Idris Elba & Tom Hanks Tests Positive For Coronavirus

First it came for Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, then it came for Idris Elba. On Monday, the British actor announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19, sharing the news with fans in a video announcement posted to Twitter.

“This morning I got some test results back for coronavirus and it came back positive,” Elba said. “And it sucks.”

However, he added, “I’m doing okay.” Elba was joined in the video by his wife, model Sabrina Dhowre, who has not yet been tested, but is also doing fine, Elba said. The actor explained that though he didn’t have any symptoms of the virus—which can include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath—he learned that he had been exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus on Friday. Elba immediately got tested and received the results Monday, he said.

“Look, this is serious. Now’s the time to really think about social distancing, washing your hands,” he said. “Beyond that, there are people out there who aren’t showing symptoms and that can easily spread it, so now’s a real time to be really vigilant.”

He also encouraged fans to self-isolate, but to take action if they start to feel ill. “Do something about it, it’s really important,” he added. “We live in a divided world right now…now’s the time for solidarity, now’s the time for thinking about each other.”

Elba’s diagnosis arrives the same day that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were released from a hospital in Queensland, Australia, after Hanks contracted the coronavirus while filming an Elvis biopic. Hanks is reportedly the only person who tested positive for the virus on the film’s set; production was halted immediately following his hospitalization. Hanks and Wilson are now back at their rented home in Australia.