Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson test positive for COVID-19

March 11 (UPI) -- Actor Tom Hanks said Wednesday he and his wife, Rita Wilson, have contracted the coronavirus.

The Oscar-winning actor said he was with Wilson, both 63, in Australia for production of Baz Luhrmann's untitled Elvis Presley biopic when they tested positive for the deadly and infectious disease.

"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!"

Hanks has been cast as Col. Tom Parker in the Lurmann film along with Austin Butler, who is to play Elvis, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the role of Gladys Presley, Elvis' mother.

The virus, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, in December, has since traveled the world over, infecting more than 120,000 people. More than 4,600 people have died due to the virus, according to a live tally by Johns Hopkins University.

News of the pair's infections follows the announcement that Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, resulting in the NBA suspending the 2019-2020 season.