Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, were released from an Australian hospital on Tuesday, five days after they were diagnosed with the new coronavirus.
Hanks’ representative confirmed to CNN that Hanks and Wilson were released from a Queensland hospital and are now in self-quarantine at their home there.
The couple arrived in Australia in late January on the Gold Coast, where an Elvis Presley biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann was to be shot.
Hanks plays Presley’s manager, “Colonel Tom” Parker. The film, slated for release in October 2021, has suspended production, Warner Bros. said.
Hanks’ son Chet confirmed that his parents were released from the hospital in an Instagram video.
“A quick update on my folks: they’re out of the hospital,” Chet said. “They’re still self-quarantined, obviously, but they’re feeling a lot better so that’s a relief.
“I just want to say to anyone else out there who has loved ones — or if you yourself are afflicted with the virus — my prayers go out to you because a lot of people are suffering other than my parents right now,” he added.
“I think if you went to the grocery store and hoarded all the toilet paper, you’re the problem. You know what I mean? You should just think more of others for once… I know this is crazy but I’m just wishing everyone the best, and we’re going to get through this.”
Last Thursday, Hanks, 63, shared a photo of himself and Wilson, 63, from quarantine in Australia.
“Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have COVID-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else,” he captioned the photo.
“There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time [sic],” the actor continued. “There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no?
“Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball,” Hanks wrote, referencing a line from his movie A League of Their Own.
The update came after Hanks and his wife disclosed they have COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The World Health Organization has declared the current COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.
Hanks and Wilson were isolated and in stable condition at an Australian hospital after contracting the illness.
Hanks said he and Wilson had felt tired, with colds, aches and slight fevers.
“To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus and were found to be positive,” he said, adding that they would be “isolated for as long as public health and safety requires.”
Wilson, a singer-songwriter, has performed in Brisbane and Sydney during the couple’s stay in Australia.
Australian television journalist Richard Wilkins has revealed that he also tested positive to the virus on Sunday. He had met Wilson at the Sydney Opera House on March 7 and again at Nine Network’s Sydney studio two days later.
Two Nine hosts who interviewed Wilson on live television on March 9, David Campbell and Belinda Russell, returned to work on Tuesday after testing negative. They had been in home isolation since Wilson’s diagnosis.
Authorities said last week that several contacts Hanks and Wilson had in Australia were being traced, but no other results of those efforts have been made public.
The virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, for most people but can be severe in some cases, especially for older adults and people with existing health problems. People with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may need six weeks to recover.
— With files from the Associated Press
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
