Country with Strict COVID Travel Rules Grants Quarantine Exemption to A-List Hollywood Actress
Hong Kong’s granting of a quarantine exemption to Hollywood star Nicole Kidman is drawing criticism from lawmakers as the city tightens entry restrictions for international travelers to combat the coronavirus.
Kidman, who reportedly flew to Hong Kong last week from Sydney, was exempted from a weeklong quarantine requirement and was spotted in the city this week filming a new Amazon Prime Video series titled “Expats,” according to local media reports.
The government said in a Thursday statement that it had granted the exemption “for the purpose of performing designated professional work.”
It said the work was “conducive to maintaining the necessary operation and development of Hong Kong’s economy.”
Some Hong Kong lawmakers criticized the decision.
“Nicole Kidman’s exemption case is not just about politics. It involves the health security issue and is a matter of unfairness,” lawmaker Priscilla Leung said.
Leung said she herself was not exempted from quarantine when a family member was infected with COVID-19.
Kidman’s exemption sets a precedent for other celebrities in the future, lawmaker Michael Tien said.
“[Even] our athletes who came back from the Tokyo Olympics were required to have seven days of quarantine,” he said.
Kidman’s exemption comes as the Hong Kong government has tightened entry requirements for travelers, adding 15 countries including the U.S. to the high-risk category and requiring vaccinated travelers from medium-risk countries to spend 14 days in quarantine effective Friday.
Previously, those traveling from medium-risk countries could quarantine for just seven days in a designated hotel if they had a valid vaccination record.
Authorities say Kidman is obliged to comply with virus rules in Hong Kong, and she is required to submit an itinerary and travel in a private vehicle to avoid contact with the public.
“With this exemption, it doesn’t mean that she can go anywhere she wants,” Edward Yau, Hong Kong’s secretary for commerce and economic development, said Friday.
Reactions from residents were mixed.
“I think the quarantine period cannot be shortened, because we all know that you can still test positive even after 14 days of quarantine, and even if you are vaccinated,” said Sum Yip, a nursing student. “If the government shortens the quarantine period, it cannot protect the people.”
But David Peatfield, a teacher from the U.K., said he did not mind the exemption for Kidman because she was vaccinated and her series would bring “good publicity” to Hong Kong.
He said filming the series in Hong Kong would also bring jobs to the city.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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