Actor Idris Elba Says He Has Coronavirus But Without Symptoms

(Bloomberg) -- Idris Elba is Hollywood’s second big star to test positive for the novel coronavirus.

The British actor announced his diagnosis in a tweet Monday, saying he feels fine and has no symptoms. Elba has been isolated since Friday, when he found out he was possibly exposed to the virus, he said.

Last week, actor Tom Hanks also said he tested positive for Covid-19, and he and his wife are quarantining themselves in Australia.

Elba, 47, was recently at an event with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She announced Thursday that she had tested positive for Covid-19.

Elba’s diagnosis may make the illness feel more real to those mostly watching it spread from afar. In previous disease outbreaks, leading Hollywood actors becoming sick has helped raise public awareness, such as when screen star Rock Hudson died of AIDS in 1985.

The majority of people with coronavirus have flu-like symptoms and recover, but elderly and people with underlying issues are at risk.

“This is serious, now is really the time to think about social distancing,” Elba said in a video on Twitter.

Elba is in preproduction for two separate films: Netflix’s “The Harder They Fall” and “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” according to the IMDB website.

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