WHAT CORONAVIRUS STIMULUS PACKAGE WILL DO FOR FAR NORTH
Trump responds to coronavirus panic by shutting borders
HOLLYWOOD megastar Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have been quarantined inside a Gold Coast hospital after becoming the most highprofile cases in Australia’s coronavirus pandemic.
In news that spread across the world yesterday, Hanks and Wilson confirmed they had both tested positive for the virus in a week they had travelled between Brisbane, Sydney and the Gold Coast, shutting down production on Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, which Hanks is in Queensland to star in.
The A-list couple, who are now quarantined at the Gold Coast University Hospital in Southport, were two of seven new cases of the coronavirus confirmed in Queensland yesterday, taking the number of people who have had the virus in the state to 27.
Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles and his director-general John Wakefield said they believed all seven new cases contracted Covid-19 overseas and travelled to Queensland already infected.
Hanks, a two-time Academy Award winner, was first spotted on the Gold Coast on February 29.
The couple appeared at Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel, where Wilson performed, on March 5, before travelling to Sydney and returning to the Gold Coast this week.
Mr Miles said all patients would be treated the same and described the infectious diseases ward on the Gold Coast as one of the best in the world.
Dr Wakefield told a news conference yesterday: “Whether you’re from Hollywood or Helensvale you will get great care.”
The news spread after Hanks posted a statement to Instagram saying the couple had felt “a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches” while “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 continued.
“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-atime approach, no? We’ll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!”
The pair’s son, Chet Hanks, took to social media yesterday with an update on his parents.
“I just got off the phone with them. They both are fine, they’re not even that sick,” he said. “They’re not worried about it, they’re not tripping, but they’re going through the necessary health precautions. But I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about.”
Mr Miles wouldn’t disclose which flight Hanks and Wilson took from Sydney to the Gold Coast, saying they were talking to airlines to obtain flight manifests and passenger lists and would “release flight details once we have them”.
Fans who attended Wilson’s concert would also be contacted by the Queensland Government.
Luhrmann sent a letter early yesterday to the Elvis cast and crew at Village Roadshow Studios outlining that due to a confirmed coronavirus case involving a crew member the production had been “cancelled and will not resume until further notice”.
The film, in which Hanks will star as Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker, was in preproduction with cameras due to roll later this month.
“Be assured we will keep you updated as that information develops,” Mr Luhrmann wrote in his letter.
THE US has banned travellers from all of Europe except the UK for 30 days in response to the spread of the coronavirus.
President Donald Trump announced the dramatic step in an Oval Office speech as he battles to address shocks from the virus and responds to criticism he has not taken the threat seriously.
Mr Trump also announced several economic steps aimed at cushioning the blow to American businesses.
“This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,” he said yesterday. “I am confident that by counting and continuing to take these tough measures, we will significantly reduce the threat to our citizens, and we will ultimately and expeditiously defeat this virus.”
Mr Trump initially said “trade and cargo” from Europe would also be banned but tweeted moments after the speech that “trade will in no way be affected” by the travel restriction.
Mr Trump, whose re-election bid on November 3 could hinge on how well he responds to the crisis, did not declare a national emergency.
He is facing criticism from Democrats for not moving quickly enough to provide testing for Americans to determine whether they have the contagion. Mr Trump pulled no punches in saying Europe was partly to blame for the virus spreading in the US, where it has killed at least 37 people and infected 1281.
“The European Union failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hot spots. As a result, a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travellers from Europe,” he said. Mr Trump signed an order that suspends the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in certain European countries during the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival in the US.
Mr Trump also said he would take emergency action to provide financial relief for workers who are ill, quarantined or caring for others.
He said he was instructing the Treasury Department to defer tax payments without interest or penalties for certain businesses and individuals affected.