Covid-19: Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman under fire for violating rules

Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman has recently come under fire for going against the strict quarantine rules for international travellers.

The actress who  is in Hong Kong to film a show sparked widespread anger after she was reportedly spotted out and about two days after her arrival.

However, Hong Kong’s Commerce and Economic Development Bureau sent out a statement on Thursday in response to questions about “overseas film personnel” and quarantine, explaining restrictions are waived “to carry out designated professional work.

Reports of the waiver have only stoked outrage further, with comments on both Twitter and Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo.

“So we have HK residents who can’t come back if not vaccinated (and even then with 2-3 weeks quarantine) but Nicole Kidman can just enter like this? It’s disgusting!” a Twitter user called @WhovianBooknerd wrote.

Several others are pointing out their inability to see their family for months thanks to the restrictions.

Citizens who live in “high risk” countries like UK, US, Spain are only allowed to enter if vaccinated and must still complete three weeks’ quarantine.

Australia – where Kidman flew in from – is classified “medium”, which has a minimum seven-day quarantine requirement for those who are vaccinated.

The heat has made its way off social media and into the political arena, as Elizabeth Quat, a pro-Beijing lawmaker reports  she had received “a number of complaints” and has asked health officials to explain themselves, according to AFP news agency.

The issue of film stars travelling internationally has also caused problems in  Australia, where the arrival of a host of famous faces in the last 18 months has angered those struggling to get home.

S.S/BBC