On Wednesday, March 11, 400 years ago, Tom Hanks stunned the world, announcing that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, had tested positive for the coronavirus. At just around the same time, the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder dramatically returned to their locker rooms just before tipoff when Jazz player Rudy Gobert was similarly diagnosed. This one-two punch represents for some when the worldwide pandemic became real.
But some bonafide good news is out there today. Hanks, who exudes kindness and Dad jokes at every turn, has finished his 14-day self-isolation and is on the mend. What’s more, he and Wilson have returned from Australia, where they fell ill during the shooting of Baz Luhrmann’s now cancelled Elvis Presley biopic. (Hanks is playing the part of The King’s manager, Dutch-born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, better known as Col. Tom Parker.)
The couple, both 63, were photographed driving in their hometown of Los Angeles. Hanks was wearing a ball cap and sunglasses and a smile. It remains unclear if Rita Wilson intends to continue reading sci fi classics while rapping, or if that was strictly a restorative thing.
There have been over 630,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 142,000 listed as “total recovery.” It’s safe to say the entire world celebrates Hanks and Wilson being in this latter category.