Tom Hanks has encouraged people to register to vote while they are staying at home during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Hollywood star and his wife Rita Wilson both announced they had been diagnosed with Covid-19 while in Australia working on an Elvis Presley biopic.

The couple have since left hospital, where they were receiving treatment, and are now self-isolating in a rented home.

In a message shared on Twitter, he said: “Whatever couch you’re stuck on, join our voter registration #CouchParty.”

The event will take place on Wednesday March 25 at 6pm ET (10pm GMT).

Last week Hanks shared an update on his condition, writing on Instagram: “Good news. One week after testing positive, in self-isolation, the symptoms are much the same.

“No fever but the blahs.

“Folding the laundry and doing the dishes leads to a nap on the couch.”

The Hollywood star added that the “bad news” was that his wife had won six hands in a row in the card game gin rummy.

He shared the message alongside a picture of a typewriter he said he had been travelling with, which had the word “Corona” printed on it.

Hanks joked that he “used to love” the machine.

He added: “We are all in this together. Flatten the curve. Hanx.”

Hanks is one of a string of high profile figures to be diagnosed with the virus, alongside Idris Elba, Daniel Dae Kim, Olga Kurylenko and US talk show host Andy Cohen.