Image source,Reuters
Actor Nicole Kidman came to Hong Kong this time for filming, and a group of 5 people were exempted from quarantine.
Hollywood movie star Nicole Kidman (Nicole Kidman; Nicole Kidman) entered Hong Kong from Australia two days after filming and going out shopping, causing an uproar in Hong Kong. Some members of the public are dissatisfied with the Hong Kong government giving the green light to celebrities entering the country. Local media questioned the possible violation of the Hong Kong quarantine order. Experts worry that Kidman and his party may cause loopholes in epidemic prevention. Many members of the Legislative Council questioned the injustice caused by breaking the precedent.
Why is Nicole Kidman’s behavior controversial?
Nicole Kidman arrived in Hong Kong by private jet from Australia on August 12 for filming work. He did not stay in a designated quarantine hotel. Two days after arriving in Hong Kong, he was also photographed shopping in a clothing store, suspected of violating the quarantine order.
When she arrived in Hong Kong, Australia was classified as a low-risk zone by the Hong Kong government. According to the Hong Kong government’s quarantine regulations, if two vaccines have been vaccinated and the nucleic acid test is negative, they must be quarantined at a designated hotel for seven days, and those who have not been vaccinated must be quarantined for 14 days.
After he arrived in Hong Kong, he rented a luxury house in Victoria Peak with a monthly rent of 650,000 Hong Kong dollars. The Hong Kong media questioned Nicole Kidman’s violation of the quarantine order and did not know whether his residence complied with the regulations. The news spread to mainland China. On the social media platform Weibo, a netizen commented: “When can we not woo foreigners and foreigners?” Another commented: “The Hong Kong government feels soft when it sees white people, so there is no need to quarantine! New Crown Afraid of the rich?”
Image source,Reuters
The Hong Kong government’s isolation policy was approved as a service for the privileged class, and it did not benefit the affected grassroots families in China and Hong Kong.
How does the Hong Kong government explain?
In response to media enquiries, the Hong Kong Commerce and Economic Development Bureau stated that Nicole Kidman was approved to come to Hong Kong to carry out activities related to designated professional work and enjoy quarantine pursuant to the “Regulations on Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving to Hong Kong from Foreign Areas” (Chapter 599E) Exemption; at the same time, the designated epidemic prevention measures and other conditions must be complied with, including vaccination, designated residence, regular testing, and provision of work-related itineraries.
But the official response did not calm public anger. The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Yau Tenghua, responded that the TV series involved was filmed in Hong Kong and was a major production, exempting five people including Nicole Kidman from quarantine, but emphasized that they must still meet a number of epidemic prevention conditions, including The entry test was negative, the vaccination was completed, etc., but they were not found to have violated the regulations.
Qiu Tenghua said: “Giving this exemption does not mean that they can walk on the streets. They must pass through several important hurdles to come to Hong Kong. In response to these conditions, we all have to perform inspections, so we have the opportunity to accompany them. Leave the premises during the quarantine period. To go to different places, she will see whether the itinerary is related to work. For example, in this production, she needs to try on clothes or go to a designated place to see the venue. This must be done, and only the special car arranged by herself can be used in the middle.”
There have been several confirmed cases of people exempted from quarantine in Hong Kong. The public is also worried that Kidman’s actions to start work and go shopping after arriving in Hong Kong may create loopholes in epidemic prevention.
Xu Shuchang, an expert consultant to the Hong Kong government and chair professor of the Department of Respiratory System at the Chinese University of China, pointed out that people who are exempt from testing pose a risk, depending on whether the staff concerned have been vaccinated with the new crown vaccine and regularly tested for the virus, and whether they work “point-to-point”. He also believes that if “you return to the hotel after the filming is finished and you don’t walk around the street, I believe the risk will be minimized.”
“Set a bad precedent”
On August 20, relevant Hong Kong government officials explained the details in the Health Affairs Committee of the Legislative Council. At the meeting, many members questioned the authorities’ actions to set a bad precedent.
Assemblyman Tian Beichen said: “Our Eastern Olympics athletes have to be quarantined for seven days when they return to Hong Kong. If you set this precedent, will all foreign stars come to Hong Kong for filming in the future be exempted? If not, how do you explain that Nicole Kidman is superior, you Do you admit that the political sense this time is low?”
The government stated that in accordance with relevant laws, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau applied for this exemption, and the Food and Health Bureau made recommendations on epidemic prevention conditions, which were finally approved by the Chief Secretary for Administration.
Assemblyman Leung Mei Fen said: “You can’t just leave it to the Bureau of Commerce and Economics. Health and safety are under your overall planning. You should say no.”
The Secretary for Food and Health, Chen Zhaoshi, responded: “I have to clarify that it is definitely not an excuse. The things that different units are responsible for I just mentioned are the mechanism that has been written within the government and in Chapter 599E of the law. She is from the region where I am from. It is inferred that it was not a high-risk area at the time of approval, but we will pay great attention to any exempted cases, if she is from a high-risk area, and some cases will not be approved.”
COVID-19 and hotel isolation: Aaron, who arrived in Hong Kong, and Jane, who arrived in Sydney, Australia, showed their hotel isolation life.
Controversy over Hong Kong’s quarantine exemption policy
Hong Kong is currently experiencing four waves of the epidemic. As of August 20, 12,000 of the 7.5 million population had been diagnosed and 212 had died. The third wave of the epidemic was caused by seafarers who were exempted from quarantine. However, in the context of almost no new additions in the local area recently, the two daughters of the Saudi consul in Hong Kong were diagnosed in July. They are exempt persons and went out during their home self-isolation. The epidemic prevention loophole caused by the exemption policy has triggered public criticism of the Hong Kong government’s preferential treatment of special groups.
During the period from February to May 2020, at least 200,000 people who entered Hong Kong were exempted from quarantine. They include nine categories of people-airline crews, cargo ship crews, government officials, and people who have business dealings with mainland China, Macau, and Taiwan. , Or students living in the mainland but studying in Hong Kong, etc.
After the third wave of epidemics caused by exemption from quarantine broke out in the summer of 2020, the Hong Kong government has tightened and reduced the categories and lists of exempt persons. Hong Kong epidemic prevention experts generally criticize exemption from quarantine as a “anti-epidemic loophole”, but the Hong Kong government defends that exemption from quarantine and quarantine arrangements is related to maintaining necessary social and economic operations.
Analysis-BBC Chinese reporter Zi Peng
Image source,Reuters
The neighborhoods where the SAR government initially implemented “restricted areas” banned mandatory foot testing belonged to low-class residential areas.
Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, Hong Kong has been “closed” with mainland China for one and a half years, and hundreds of thousands of grassroots Chinese and Hong Kong families have been affected. Starting from August 2021, people entering Hong Kong from China’s non-Guangdong Province must comply with the Hong Kong government’s epidemic prevention requirements and be quarantined for 14 days. However, the Hong Kong government’s quarantine exemption policy does not cover most grassroots families in China and Hong Kong, and public grievances have a long history.
Netizens in mainland China often criticize the Hong Kong government for “praising foreigners and wooing foreigners”, imposing strict quarantine requirements on people entering mainland China, and lenient requirements on people entering overseas. These criticisms are not unreasonable at the beginning of the outbreak. The epidemic experienced by Hong Kong before May 2020 was mainly caused by the diagnosis of mainland Chinese people entering the country. The Hong Kong government naturally strictly guarded the entry barriers of the mainland. At that time, the epidemic did not spread overseas, and the Hong Kong government set aside a few days of window period when designating anti-epidemic policies for overseas entry. This has been criticized for giving preferential treatment to overseas people.
In the early stage of the epidemic, Hong Kong was criticized for its many loopholes in epidemic prevention and lagging in nucleic acid testing capabilities. It was accused of not even copying operations in Mainland China. After four rounds of the epidemic, entering the summer of 2021, Hong Kong gradually closed the loopholes in epidemic prevention and encouraged the people to get vaccinated. As of August 20, the two-shot vaccination rate reached 45%, and the society has initially formed an immune barrier. However, there is still a long way to go before the 70% needed for herd immunity.
At present, countries around the world led by the United Kingdom and Singapore have begun trials to treat the new crown as a seasonal flu. And China has also begun to say that it will first look at other countries to eat crabs. In the future, it may open its doors on a trial basis during the 2022 Winter Olympics. Of course, this requires the vaccination rate to reach 70%. According to experts, the ideal state is that the universal vaccination rate reaches 100%.
Once China’s anti-epidemic policy begins to change, Hong Kong may change accordingly. At that time, “clearing to zero” may no longer be Hong Kong’s primary goal, and perhaps imported cases caused by the quarantine exemption policy will no longer cause the panic and concern that it is now.