© 2026 ABC News

3:53 a.m.: Australian journalist who met with Rita Wilson has virus

An Australian television journalist said Monday he has the new coronavirus and assumes he contracted it while meeting with actress-singer Rita Wilson in Sydney.

Nine Network entertainment editor Richard Wilkins, 65, said he was tested because he met Wilson at the Sydney Opera House on March 7 and again at Nine's Sydney studio on March 9. The result came back positive on Sunday.

\"I'm surprisingly very well,\" Wilkins told Nine by Facetime from his Sydney home, where he has self-isolated since Wilson's diagnosis.

You could've knocked me over with a feather last night when I got that call. It took me a couple of minutes to reel from the news that they gave me. But I feel fine. I feel 100%,\" Wilkins added. \"We're assuming this is from Rita. It may not be. They've all said it could be anyone, anywhere, any time, such is the prevalence of this thing.\"

Wilson and her husband Tom Hanks have been isolated in an Australian hospital since they were both diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 12.

ABC News' Devin Dwyer, Aaron Katersky, Patrick Reevell, Rebecca Jarvis, Taylor Dunn, John Santucci, Josh Margolin, Katherine Faulders and Will Gretzky contributed to this report.

This report was featured in the Tuesday, March 17, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast.

\"Start Here\" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/US/coronavirus-live-updates-establishments-country-begin-shutting/story?id=69615056","legacySlug":"/news/story/coronavirus-live-updates-establishments-country-begin-shutting-69615056","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"04:18","publishDate":"03-17-2020","updatedTime":"01:03","updatedDate":"03-21-2020","socialImage":{"alt":"Dawn Canova, clinical manager for outpatient wound care at Carroll Hospital takes samples from people to test them for the coronavirus at a drive-thru station in the hospital's parking garage, March 16, 2020, in Westminster, Md. Not open to the general public for testing, the station was set up to take samples from people who had spoken with their doctors and received explicit direction to get a test for the novel coronavirus called COVID-19.","credit":"Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/drive-thru-test-md-gty-ps-200316_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"3/17/2020 04:18:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":69615056,"headline":"Coronavirus latest: Major cities shut down","mediaAssetTitle":"CORONAVIRUS MAINBAR MARCH 16","description":"A nationwide quarantine is not being considered \"at this point.\" ","duration":"6:23","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/03/200316_wn_johnson_631_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["69610447","69580793","69593208"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"March 15, 2020","headline":"Fed slashes rates to near zero, announces $700 billion quantitative easing program","section":"news","slug":"/news/story/federal-reserve-slashes-rates-launches-700-billion-quantitative-69610447","id":69610447,"image":{"alt":"Fed slashes rates to near zero, announces $700 billion quantitative easing program","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/fed-reserve-1-gty-aa-200315_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"AFP via Getty Images, FILE","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"March 13, 2020","headline":"Authorities to enforce Trump's new coronavirus travel restrictions at US airports","section":"news","slug":"/news/story/authorities-enforce-trumps-coronavirus-travel-restrictions-us-airports-69580793","id":69580793,"image":{"alt":"Authorities to enforce Trump's new coronavirus travel restrictions at US airports","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/airport-2-gty-aa-200313_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Scott Olson/Getty Images, FILE","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"March 14, 2020","headline":"While in self-quarantine, senator criticizes Trump administration's coronavirus plan","section":"news","slug":"/news/story/quarantine-sen-ted-cruz-critical-trump-administrations-handling-69593208","id":69593208,"image":{"alt":"While in self-quarantine, senator criticizes Trump administration's coronavirus plan","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/ted-cruz-mo_hpMain_20200313-203932_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images, File","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Coronavirus latest: Major cities shut down","description":"A nationwide quarantine is not being considered \"at this point.\" ","duration":"6:23","uploadDate":"03-17-2020","publication":"03-17-2020","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/03/200316_wn_johnson_631_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/03/200316_wn_johnson_631_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/live-updates/coronavirus-live-updates-establishments-country-begin-shutting-69615056"}},"playlist":[{"id":"133390157","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133415361","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133414032","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133380485","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133358298","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133350119","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307515","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307527","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133282665","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133220149","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133179167","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133144373","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133144059","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133143081","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133075455","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133063114","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133063086","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133015093","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132998564","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132998072","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Coronavirus latest: Major cities shut down","pubTime":"00:18","pubDate":"03-17-2020","modTime":"21:03","modDate":"03-20-2020","taxonomyTags":"none","id":69615056,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Coronavirus latest: Major cities shut down","mediaAssetTitle":"CORONAVIRUS MAINBAR MARCH 16","videoId":69615056,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/coronavirus-live-updates-establishments-country-begin-shutting-69615056"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/69615056","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/69615056","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};