Famous English actor Idris Elba revealed in a video posted on Twitter Monday morning that he just learned he had tested positive for coronavirus. Stressing that he is “okay,” the actor urged his followers to cut through the divisive “bullsh**,” come together in “solidarity” and “don’t freak out.”
“This morning I tested positive for Covid 19,” the popular actor tweeted along with a video announcement. “I feel ok, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus.” The acclaimed actor then offered some advice to his nearly 3 million followers: “Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I’m doing. No panic.”
“This morning I got some test results back from coronavirus, and it came back positive,” Elba says in the video message, which includes his wife Sabrina, who, he explained, has not yet been tested (video below).
“Yeah, and it sucks,” he acknowledged. “Listen, I’m doing okay. Sabrina hasn’t been tested, and she’s doing okay.”
“I didn’t have any symptoms,” the actor explained. “I got tested because I realized that I was exposed to someone who had also tested positive. I found out last Friday that they were tested positive. I quarantined myself and got a test immediately and got the results back today.”
“Look, this is serious,” he said. “Now’s the time to really think about social distancing, washing your hands. Beyond that there are people out there who aren’t showing symptoms, and that can easily spread it. So now’s a time to be real vigilant about washing your hands and keeping your distance, okay.”
“We’ve told our families; they’re very supportive,” he continued. “We’ve told our colleagues.”
“Transparency’s probably the best thing for this right now,” he urged. “If you’re feeling ill or you feel like you should be tested or you’ve been exposed, then do something about it, all right — it’s really important.”
“Look, we live in a divided world right now, we can feel it — it’s been bullsh**,” he emphasized. “But now’s the time for solidarity, now’s the time to be thinking about each other. There are so many people whose lives have been affected — from those who have lost people they have loved, to those who don’t even have it and have lost their livelihoods. This is real.”
He concluded by promising he’d give updates about his condition and encouraging people to “stay positive and don’t freak out.”
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. Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I’m doing 👊🏾👊🏾 No panic. pic.twitter.com/Lg7HVMZglZ
— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 16, 2020
Another famous actor who has revealed that he has coronavirus is Tom Hanks, who contracted the virus while working on a film in Australia and told the world in a social media post last Wednesday that he and his wife Rita Wilson had both tested positive. Like Elba, he also made a point of noting that they were both doing pretty well.
“Hello folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had cold hands, 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 tests for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive,” Hanks announced Wednesday. “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?”
“We’ll keep the world posted and updated,” he concluded. “Take care of yourselves! Hanx!” As he said he would, Hanks and his family have continued to provide updates for their fans and appear to be doing well.
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