Tom Hanks Gives a Nod to the Late Fred Rogers While in Coronavirus Quarantine in Australia

Tom Hanks is looking to the inspiring words of Mister Rogers to stay positive while in quarantine with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

On Sunday, the 63-year-old actor - who shared days before that he and wife Rita Wilson both tested positive for the coronavirus in Australia - posted an update from his time in isolation, expressing his appreciation for his "helpers," a friendly gesture that his latest movie character Fred Rogers often spoke of.

In his Instagram post, the A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood star captured a photo of his meal of a glass of water and two pieces of toast with Vegemite, a thick Australian food spread high in Vitamin B and made of yeast extract.

Keeping him company in the photo was a stuffed animal kangaroo holding an Australian flag and a koala latched onto the Vegemite bottle.

"Thanks to the Helpers. Let's take care of ourselves and each other. Hanx," the actor wrote.

Hanks' reference to the "helpers" comes from a Rogers quote that he would say during turbulent times.

"My mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping,' " the late Fred Rogers would say.

On Thursday, Hanks gave fans another update on his and Wilson's health.

"Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else," he captioned his selfie.

"There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time," theactor continued. "There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no?"

Hanks ended by referencing a line from his iconic movie A League of Their Own, "Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball."

The Forrest Gump star revealed last Wednesday that he and his wife were diagnosed with the COVID-19 coronavirus while visiting Australia.

"Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive," Hanks wrote.

"Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks' will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?"

Hanks added, "We'll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!"

Hanks had been on Australia's Gold Coast for the pre-production of Baz Luhrmann 's untitled Elvis Presley biopic, in which he plays the music icon's longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker. Filming for the movie has been halted following his diagnosis.

As of March 15, there have been at least 2,759 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 59 deaths in the United States, according to The New York Times.