In what I suspect will be a common story over the coming weeks and months, another major celebrity has been struck down by the Coronavirus. This time, as I’m sure you’ve already heard, it’s Hobbs & Shaw, The Suicide Squad and Thor: Ragnarok star Idris Elba. Yesterday, the British actor posted on Twitter that he’d been tested and diagnosed with the virus and has gone into isolation. Fortunately, Elba is not showing any symptoms, but naturally this is a cause for concern.
Elba now joins Tom Hanks and Game of Thrones‘ Kristofer Hivju in the celebrity Coronavirus club. Thankfully, Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have reportedly been released from hospital and told to go into self-regulated isolation. Elba explained that he and those in close contact with him will be monitoring their symptoms, and will be remaining in isolation until given the medical okay to rejoin the world. Naturally, Elba’s passionate fanbase reacted to the news with shock, with the diagnosis bringing home the fact that anyone can catch this potentially deadly virus.
Here’s a selection of the responses:
https://twitter.com/clarkeeuwu/status/1239625418879242240?s=20
https://twitter.com/TheJessieWoo/status/1239618805279666176?s=20
not idris elba, coronavirus needs to back the f*ck up pic.twitter.com/m7c6hNTZgW
— phantom of the dystopia✨ (@thislilstangirl) March 16, 2020
DAMNIT GOD I SAID DONALD TRUMP NOT IDRIS ELBA pic.twitter.com/PkuTMlHUIn
— T (@tamaranoellle) March 16, 2020
https://twitter.com/CourtZ022/status/1239627085347459077?s=20
https://twitter.com/sanateeez/status/1239625042025160707?s=20
not idris😔 fuck this virus bro https://t.co/w0kbAcJp22
— anders 🍉🍉🍉 (@ANDERSBUTONDERS) March 16, 2020
I can only agree with them, wish Idris Elba a speedy recovery and hope that everyone who receives a similar diagnosis does as well.
The official advice right now is to engage in social distancing, limit all but the most necessary contact with others and isolate if you’re diagnosed or begin displaying symptoms. As such, there’s bound to be many folks stuck at home without much to do over the next few weeks. This many bored people is likely to have a major impact on the entertainment industry, too. A lot of major 2020 blockbusters have already been delayed, domestic cinema chains have closed and multiple productions have been shut down. On the flipside, streaming services are expected to see a big increase, as will digital sales of video games.
All things considered, though, it’s possible that once the Coronavirus situation has run its course, we could be looking at a very different landscape in the entertainment industry, one oriented away from mass gatherings and public screenings.
