Kristofer Hivju (Tormund Giantsbane) tests positive for the Coronavirus

Norwegian actor Krsitofer Hivju, known to Game of Thrones fans everywhere as Tormund Giantsbane, announced on Instagram that he has contracted the Coronavirus.

"Greetings from Norway! Sorry to say that I, today, have tested positive for COVID19, Corona virus. My family and I are self-isolating at home for as long as it takes. We are in good health – I only have mild symptoms of a cold. There are people at higher risk for whom this virus might be a devastating diagnosis, so I urge all of you to be extremely careful; wash your hands, keep 1-5 meters distance from others, go in quarantine; just do everything you can to stop the virus from spreading. Together we can fight this virus and avert a crisis at our hospitals. Please take care of each other, keep your distance, and stay healthy! Please visit your country’s Center for Disease Control’s website, and follow the regulations for staying safe and protecting not just yourselves, but our entire community, and especially those at risk like the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions."

Hivju gives good advice all around: wash your hands, maintain distance from others, and visit the website of your country’s health authority for guidelines.

Obviously it’s upsetting to hear that Hivju has contracted the virus, and we’ll be pulling for him here at WiC. We’re very glad to hear that he’s in good health; hopefully it passes without much incident. He joins the ranks of other big names to catch the disease, including Tom Hanks and Idris Elba.

Incidentally, Hivju recently signed on to appear in the second season of The Witcher, although that production has shut down for the time being, like pretty much every production on Earth. For now, several of his Game of Thrones costars are wishing him well on his Instagram. “Ah mate. Sending my love to you all. Get well,” wrote John Bradley (Samwell Tarly). Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth) “get well soon my friend,” while Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei) wrote she was “sending lots of love.” Danish actor Pilau Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy) wrote “Scandinavian brother,” while Bella Ramsey (Lyanna Mormont) commented, “get well soon.”

At the end of the day, Hivju is 100% right that there are people out there who are at higher rise than he, people without access to adequate healthcare for whom the diagnosis could be devastating. So please, let’s all do our parts to make sure that the virus doesn’t spread more than it has to. Please stay safe.

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