American actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks, who recovered after being infected with the novel coronavirus earlier this year, said he does not hold much respect for people who decline to practice precautions such as wearing a mask in public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"At the very least, three tiny things (are) in everybody's wheelhouse, if you choose to do them," the Oscar-winning actor said in a recent interview. "Wear a mask, wash your hands, social distance. If you can't do that, I don't have much respect for you."
The U.S. is currently leading the world in the number of coronavirus infections and deaths, recording over three million confirmed cases and 133,000 fatalities.
The country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has earlier recommended that all Americans wear face masks in public settings to slow the spread of the coronavirus, with some of the states mandating the use of face coverings in public.
"Whether or not we like it, we're all in this together," he added.
File photo: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson at the premiere of "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" in London, England. /AP
Hanks' new film "Greyhound" will stream on Apple TV+ starting Friday rather than playing in movie theaters as a result of the pandemic.
He said the movie was made for "a big, massive, immersive experience that can really only come out when you're in a movie theater with at least 100 other people." However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, "we've got to roll with these punches" and put it online for home viewing, he said.
Hanks and his wife, actress and singer Rita Wilson, disclosed earlier in March that they had tested positive for the coronavirus while in Australia for a shoot. Since recovering, Hanks has been donating plasma in hopes that it would be used for treatment research against COVID-19.
(With input from Reuters)
(Cover: Tom Hanks arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the United States. /AP )