Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson on the red carpet.
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
A few days after Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson announced they were both diagnosed with COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, Wilson took the positive approach and compiled a quarantine music playlist.
“I want to make a Spotify playlist for people self-quarantining,” she tweeted on Friday. “Something that might relate to isolation, perhaps? Can you send some song ideas that I can add? Also, what should we call it? Quarantine choruses? This is what one does in quarantine, you think of stuff like this.”
The end result is Rita Wilson’s Quarantunes on Spotify, with songs such as “Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol, “I Wanna Be Sedated” by the Ramones, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor and “I’m So Tired” by the Beatles, to name a few. She also included a few songs she sings herself.
On Thursday, a day after revealing they’d tested positive for the coronavirus, the actors posted an Instagram update from Australia, saying they’re taking things “one day at a time.”
“Rita and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us,” Hanks posted to his Instagram account, where he has 7.5 million followers. “We have COVID-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one day at a time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no? Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball.”
Hanks originally shared the news of the couple testing positive via Instagram the same day the World Health Organization declared the illness a pandemic.
“We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches,” Hanks wrote. “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.”
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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? We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves! Hanx!
Hanks confirmed that he and his wife will be self-isolating until they are told otherwise, though the actor remains positive.
“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.”
Hanks is in Australia to to film a movie about the life of Elvis Presley. He’s playing the role of Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Production on the film, directed by Baz Luhrmann, was set to begin on Monday, but will likely be postponed.
“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,” Warner Bros. said in a statement, according to The New York Times.
Watch this:
Pandemic: Here’s what’s changed about the coronavirus
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As of this writing, there are more than 156,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, and more than 5,800 deaths. Australia has 250 confirmed cases, while the US has more than 2,700.
The illness has led to the cancellation of a wide range of events, from tech gatherings like Mobile World Congress to cultural like SXSW and Coachella. On Wednesday, the NBA announced it would suspend the season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the virus.
Originally published March 11.
Update, March 12, 9:38 p.m. PT: Adds Thursday statement from Hanks.
Update, March 14, 4:36 p.m. PT: Adds Wilson’s music playlist.