It’s become quite clear that COVID-19 doesn’t care who you are or how many Instagram followers you have. With cases of coronavirus spreading, it was only a matter of time until it gripped the entertainment world.
Since early March 2020, many of the biggest names in film, sports and politics have contracted the highly contagious virus, including one of the most beloved actors of a generation and his equally beloved wife.
On March 11, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced on Instagram that they had tested positive for the virus in Australia, where Tom was filming Baz Luhrman’s Elvis Presley biopic.
“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,” Tom wrote on Instagram.
In a follow-up post, Tom said he and Rita were taking everything “one-day-at-a-time.”
Actor Idis Elba announced on Twitter he tested positive for the coronavirus and told fans in a video that while he wasn’t showing symptoms, he is now in isolation.
“This is serious. Now’s the time to really think about social distancing. Washing your hands,” Idris said on social media.
In a Twitter Live video on Tuesday he told followers he was notified last Friday that he had been in contact with someone who had tested positive. Because he was on location about to start filming a new project, it was imperative for him to be tested given that he could potentially expose many people on a film set.
“We were really lucky to test very quickly because of the shortages of the test, but from my perspective it was the best thing to do immediately was to get tested because I was going to be around a lot of people starting this new film,” he said.
Elba said he immediately quarantined himself in his house on location and advocated for more testing being available. And while he is “generally feeling OK” with just a slight runny nose but no fever (one of the symptoms of the virus), the Luther actor said his asthma places him in the high-risk category given that coronavirus can affect the respiratory system.
“I’ve had asthma all my life and catching corona was not on my bucket list at all,” he joked. “But even my asthma is OK.”
On Monday, Canadian First Lady Sophie Trudeau announced she had contracted the virus. While her husband, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had not, he did self-quarantine.
Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has also contracted the illness.
Former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko revealed she too is “locked up at home” and has been for a week with a fever and fatigue, which are among the symptoms of the virus.
Game of Thrones actor Kristofer Hivju also announced he tested positive for COVID-19.
Frozen 2 voice actress Rachel Matthew also announced she has contracted the virus.
