Actor Idris Elba has been slammed for suggesting everybody should quarantine for a week every year to commemorate the coronavirus.

Elba, along with wife Sabrina, tested positive for Covid-19 last month and says they have both fully recovered.

He told Associated Press: "I think that the world should take a week of quarantine every year just to remember this time. Remember each other. I really do. 

"I think it's… other species use it. It's called hibernation. But it does remind you that the world doesn't tick on your time.

"It's been about six weeks from the beginning to this point right now for us, where it's essentially our lives turned around.

"Definitely scary and unsettling and nervous. And I think that's been like a real collected world experience.

"You know, everyone's sort of feeling the way we have been feeling, but it has definitely been sort of just a complete upheaval."

However, people on Twitter hit back at the Luther star for his comments.

One user said: "Idris Elba is an actor and an idiot. He probably thought that he was smart saying this. Nobody should care about what these stupid and ignorant actors and artists say and think. #COVID19 #WuhanVirus"

Another tweeted: "Maybe Idris can just quarantine himself each year with his dumb ass thoughts to remember the time he had some more dumb ass thoughts. #COVIDー19 #coronavirus"

With another person writing: "What is Idris Elba talking about? I mean it’s a lovely sentiment, but once lockdown is over a lot of countries are going to probably be in a bad recession for years to come... so yeah, I don’t think having a week quarantine every year for commemoration will help the economy"

And another tweeted: "I like Idris Elba he's a great actor but No way! No thanks we don't need to take a week of quarantine every year No!!!!. He's wealthy maybe he can afford to not everyone else can. Also should we start world wars every week to remember world war!. Huh No!. #idriselba #COVID19"

Elba and his wife, as United Nations Goodwill ambassadors, have launched a £32 million initiative with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development to help rural farmers during the outbreak.

Sabrina said: "If you imagine being in a village where no one even knows the name of your village or your population, and that you live in a slum where there is one room and six of you live in it, social distancing is almost laughable.

"What we are really worried about at the moment, and why we are launching this fund is that those people are being forgotten.

"The economic fallout of this pandemic is being overlooked and while health, you know, is so important at the moment, we are dealing with a health pandemic, we don't want people to forget about what comes after that."