Tom Hanks was having great time in Australia before coronavirus diagnosis

13 March 2020

Tom Hanks was having a "wonderful time" in Australia before he was diagnosed with coronavirus.

Tom Hanks

The Hollywood actor was on the Gold Coast with his wife Rita Wilson, working on the pre-production of Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis Presley biopic, when he was struck down with the illness.

Annastacia Palaszczuk, MP Premier of Queensland and Minister for Trade, said in a press conference: "Tom has been having a wonderful time on the Gold Coast and we are so lucky to have Tom in Queensland. These people who've come in very close contact with him in recent days and what they will do now, is our experts will work very closely with him, with Baz and all of the crew and then they will self-isolate those people who've been in that close proximity."

Tom confirmed he and Rita's diagnosis in a statement released earlier in the day, revealing they had aches and fevers.

He shared: "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. 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? ... Take care of yourselves!"

As a result of the diagnosis, it was confirmed that filming for the movie has been halted for the meantime.

Warner Bros. said in a statement: "We have been made aware that a company member from our Elvis feature film, which is currently in pre-production in The Gold Coast, Australia, has tested positive for COVID-19. 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 health and safety of our company members is always our top priority, and we are taking precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world. The individual who tested positive for COVID-19 is currently receiving treatment."