As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to progress, and policies of social distancing and self-quarantining are beginning to pick up steam, we’re starting to see the inevitable rise in cases that have been developing stealthy due to the rather nature of the virus. This leads to the unfortunate news that Cats and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw actor Idris Elba has confirmed, in a video to his fans, that he is positive for the Coronavirus.
Watch his explanation, through his latest social media post, below:
Idris Elba self-quarantined last week after realizing he had been exposed to someone who had eventually tested positive for COVID-19, and the results of his own test were made public today. Per his recent announcement on Twitter, the actor is not symptomatic as of yet, and his wife Sabrina Dhowre has not been tested yet herself.
This news comes not too long after earlier COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the movie world, as not only have Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson tested positive while in Australia, but Quantum of Solace star Olga Kurylenko made an announcement earlier today that confirmed she too is currently quarantined with this particular virus.
Idris Elba’s latest film, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, just recently wrapped, so there’s no word on how or if this exposure occured on the set of that particular project, and if any further tests are being taken by those involved. As soon as we have further details here at CinemaBlend, we’ll report them the moment they break. In the meantime, our best wishes go out to Elba and his family, as well as all who are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s not all bad news, though, as thankfully Idris Elba found out about this exposure, and not only had himself tested, but self-quarantined, in rather quick fashion. As we’ve seen in the earlier case of Tom Hanks, recovery efforts can be started and monitored pretty effectively with such an early plan of action.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the public at large should be taking COVID-19 any less seriously, which has led to recent and future film releases being postponed and productions being delayed. It’s not all bad news, as Universal has just made the announcement that recent titles such as The Invisible Man and Emma., as well as upcoming movies like Trolls: World Tour, are going to be made available as VOD rentals as early as this Friday.
This coincidentally is enough of a good reason to mention the fact that Idris Elba’s own Universal films, Cats and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, will both also be available for fans to watch around that same time. So while he might not be cancelling the apocalypse at the moment Pacific Rim-style, Elba's fans will be covered for their periodic dosage of his bad ass charms.
Cats will be available on Digital HD tomorrow, with Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw already available on HBO’s various streaming platforms.
