Hollywood megastar Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for the new coronavirus while in Australia for a film project, the Oscar-winning US actor revealed Thursday.
Hanks and Wilson, both 63, are in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital after being confirmed with the disease, Queensland state health officials said.
Hanks is the first major Hollywood star to publicly state that he has the virus, which has sickened more than 125,000 people worldwide and killed more than 4,600.
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Parade postponed
New York City has postponed its annual St Patrick’s Day parade over the global coronavirus pandemic, officials said late Wednesday, days after other events in US cities were canceled.
State governor Andrew Cuomo said the decision was taken after a meeting with parade organizers.
“One of the most effective ways to contain the spread of the virus is to limit large gatherings and close contacts, and I applaud the parade’s leadership for working cooperatively with us,” said New York state governor Andrew Cuomo in a statement.
Permits canceled
China has canceled permits for Mount Everest because of the coronavirus, expedition organizers said Thursday, ahead of the spring climbing season on the world’s highest peak.
Last year’s traffic-clogged spring window saw a record 885 people summit Everest, 644 of them from Nepal and 241 from the northern flank in Tibet.
The Nepal side remains open for now although some expedition operators have seen cancellations and climbers have been asked to submit a 14-day travel history and medical reports.
30-day ban
US President Donald Trump announced a 30-day ban on travelers from mainland Europe Wednesday as the continent reeled from the rapid spread of a coronavirus pandemic that has emptied streets, shuttered shops and disrupted travel for millions.
The edict came amid signs of a widening European crisis, as Italy clocked more than 2,300 new cases in 24 hours and infections in Spain jumped by a quarter to more than 2,100.
Ireland, Albania, Belgium, Sweden, and Bulgaria registered their first deaths Wednesday, bringing Europe’s total to 930, from more than 22,000 infections.
“This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,” Trump said in a prime-time television address from the Oval Office”•his latest attempt to counter criticism of his response so far.
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