• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, March 16, 2020

Actor Idris Elba tweeted Monday he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

“This is serious,” he said in the video. “This is the time to really think about social distancing and washing your hands. There are people out there not showing symptoms and that can easily spread it.”

Elba chose to get tested without symptoms because he had been exposed to someone who had also tested positive. When he learned of the exposure, he immediately self-quarantined himself.

“We’ve lived in a divided world, but now is the time for solidarity,” he said.

Elba plans to keep his followers updated.

Social media is allowing followers to get first-hand information from those stricken with the virus. Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson were two of the first celebrities to take to social media and share their experiences after falling ill from COVID-19, also known as coronavirus.

On March 11, Hanks tweeted he and wife Rita felt a bit tired, like they had colds with body aches, while working on a movie in Australia. They were both tested. Tests came back positive for COVID-19. He hasn’t tweeted much since, only on Sunday to thank helpers for their support.

Ukranian born Olga Kurylenko, who starred as Camille Montes opposite Daniel Craig in the 2008 James Bond film "Quantum of Solace," shared the news Sunday on her Instagram account that she, too, has come down with coronavirus.

“Locked up at home after having tested positive for coronavirus,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’ve actually been ill for almost a week now. Fever and fatigue are my main symptoms. Take care of yourself and do take this seriously!”

Some made public service announcements. Max Brooks, Mel Brooks’ 47-year-old son, produced a video and posted it to Twitter. The message #dontbeaspreader means to encourage people to use social distancing techniques especially to protect older Americans.

“He’s 93,” younger Brooks says of his father in a video. “If I get coronavirus, I’ll probably be OK. If I give it to him, he could give it to Carl Reiner, who could give it to Dick van Dyke, and before I know it, I’ve wiped out a whole generation of comedic legends.”