Kidman allowed to skip Hong Kong's strict quarantine

HONG KONG • Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman secured an exemption from strict Hong Kong quarantine rules which have faced criticism from the financial hub's business community, local media reported.

Kidman, 54, flew into the city on a private jet that took off from Sydney on Aug 12, reported The Standard newspaper.

The Bombshell (2019) star arrived to shoot the Expats television series for Amazon and was spotted with her bodyguards in many places, including at a boutique, the report said.

A spokesman for the government did not immediately answer calls seeking comment.

Hong Kong mandates vaccinated residents and non-residents coming from "high-risk" countries to spend as long as 21 days in hotel quarantine upon arrival, besides a host of other requirements.

For those from "low-risk" places such as Australia, that is cut short to seven days plus tests followed by self-monitoring.

HSBC Holdings chairman Mark Tucker recently spent three weeks in isolation.

Business groups have expressed concern after the government tightened the curbs earlier this week, moving 15 nations to the "high-risk" category effective today.

Australia has now been labelled as "medium-risk".

The business community has struggled for the past 18 months with an economy that has been starved of big-spending tourists and business travellers.

Hong Kong had about 99.9 per cent fewer visitor arrivals in the first half of this year than in the same period in 2019.

Kidman, who is also an executive producer of Expats, will be staying at a mansion in an upscale neighbourhood near Victoria Peak until October, paying a monthly rent of about HK$650,000 (S$113,800), other local media reported.

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