Hong Kong's decision to grant Hollywood star Nicole Kidman exemption from quarantine, as part of the measures against Covid-19, has sparked anger on social media and beyond, considering that the city boasts anti-Covid measures among the most rigid in the world, recently tightened.
The Australian actress, in the former British colony to shoot an Amazon-funded series about the lives of wealthy expats (which she executive produces and inspired by a 2016 book by Janice YK Lee on the golden lives of three American women in the city), it skipped the rules that provide for arrivals from high-risk countries to be quarantined in hotels for 21 days and one of seven days from low-risk countries, always in the hotel, followed by the week of observation.
Hong Kong's Bureau of Trade and Economic Development confirmed that the 54-year-old Australian actress and crew were granted exemptions "to perform designated professional work". In this case, the beneficiaries are required to undergo three Covid tests in the two weeks following arrival.
City tabloids have closely followed the actress's appearances in Hong Kong since she landed on a private jet from Australia last Thursday, including shopping and filming in the Sai Wan district. Social media has since filled with comments of amazement and anger from Hong Kong expats and residents about the quarantine exemption and the green light to film at a particular time in the city, when Beijing is eliminating dissent in the center. financial.
Elizabeth Quat, a pro-Beijing MP, said she was "concerned about the exemption from quarantine granted by the government to actress Nicole Kidman" and had "received a number of complaints from Hong Kong residents". Quat added that he asked health officials to report to a legislative committee on the matter tomorrow on Friday.