Nicole Kidman’s quarantine-free deal in Hong Kong ‘strikes a balance’ between helping Hollywood star and Covid-19 control, says government
- Commerce minister Edward Yau defends decision to grant Australian actress and her crew special dispensation to enter city
- Kidman is in Hong Kong to film drama series Expats for Amazon
Hong Kong’s commerce minister has defended the decision to allow Hollywood star Nicole Kidman to enter the city without being quarantined, saying the government had “struck a balance” between helping the actress and epidemic control.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah also said on Friday that a total of five members of the Amazon show Kidman was here to film had been granted exemptions, adding officials would continue to monitor the crew to ensure compliance with the rules.
Government confirmation on Thursday of the exemption, which was granted to the Australian actress because of her “designated professional work”, sparked outrage among many groups while some lawmakers said Kidman had received “special treatment”, given most inbound travellers faced up to 21 days of mandatory isolation.
Yau said the production team was doing a major television series in the coming weeks and months and it was noticed there was leeway in fulfilling control measures for a limited number of its members, so certain exemptions were made.
“These arrangements are not allowing anybody to be set free, but rather there are a number of conditions attached ... All these measures are meant to contain the risks in a manageable manner. As before, we often strike a balance between facilitation and epidemic control,” he said.
