Actor Tom Hanks has joined the line of celebrities advocating for the wearing of face masks in public as the nation walks the line between social distancing and keeping the economy open in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hanks, who survived COVID-19 along with his wife Rita Wilson after they were both diagnosed with the virus while in Australia, said at a press conference that people need to do their part, which includes wearing a mask.
“There’s really only three things we can do in order to get to tomorrow: Wear a mask, social distance, wash our hands,” Hanks said while promoting his upcoming movie “Greyhound.”
“Those things are so simple, so easy. If anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things – I just think shame on you,” he added, as reported by People. “Don’t be a p***y, get on with it, do your part. It’s very basic. If you’re driving a car, you don’t go too fast, you use your turn signal, and you avoid hitting pedestrians. My Lord, it’s common sense.”
“Greyhound” is a World War II story that focuses on the 37 allied ships that crossed the North Atlantic while fending off German U-boats in the early days of the war. Hanks said the movie has parallels to the time we are in.
As to how he and his wife have recovered from coronavirus, he said the experience was uncomfortable but not life-threatening.
“Oh, as the canaries in the coal mine for the COVID-19 experience, we are fine,” he said. “We had about 10 days of very uncomfortable symptoms. Not life-threatening, we’re happy to say. We were isolated in order to keep an eye on ourselves because if our temperatures had spiked, if our lungs had filled, if any number of things had gone wrong with this, we would have needed expert medical care. We didn’t. I guess we were model recoverers from COVID-19, but we were also isolated so that we would not give it to anybody else that we came in contact with, and since then have been doing the same isolating, social distancing that is being asked of the world so, we are fine.”
In many ways, Hanks’ declaration for people to wear a mask echoes the words of actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said that only an “absolute moron” would make wearing a mask political.
“This is 100% the right move,” Schwarzenegger tweeted in response to California Governor Gavin Newsom mandating people wear masks in public places. “This will help us beat this terrible virus. The science is unanimous — if we all wear masks, we slow down the spread and can reopen safely. It’s not a political issue. Anyone making it a political issue is an absolute moron who can’t read.”
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