Actor Idris Elba Contracts Coronavirus: ‘I Feel Ok. No Panic’

English actor Idris Elba arrives for the 2019 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art o
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Joshua Caplan

Hollywood actor Idris Elba announced Monday that he has contracted the Chinese coronavirus and said he is not exhibiting symptoms of the deadly illness.

“This morning I tested positive for Covid 19. I feel ok, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus,” Elba tweeted, along with a video with details about his condition. “Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I’m doing No panic.”

Elba explained that he underwent testing after coming into contact with an individual who recently was diagnosed with the disease and said he went into self-isolation after learning of said person’s test results.

“It sucks,” The Wire star said. “Looks, this is serious. Now’s the time to really think about social distancing, washing your hands.”

Elba’s announcement comes after megastar Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, revealed that they tested positive for the coronavirus while in Australia for production of Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley biopic

“Rita and I are down here in Australia,” he said in a statement. “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.”

He said they will follow the protocols set out by medical officials.

“We Hanks will be tested, observed and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires,” he added. “Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?”

The statement accompanied a photo of a rubber glove in a trash can lined with a hazardous materials garbage bag.

“We’ll keep the world posted and updated,” he said. “Take care of yourselves!”

The UPI contributed to this report. 

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