Actress Nicole Kidman is present at a press conference held for her film "Grace of Monaco" during the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) in Shanghai, east China, June 15, 2014. (Xinhua/Yuan Jing)

Hollywood star Nicole Kidman was spotted filming for her new TV series in Hong Kong, just days after her arrival in the city from Australia. Local residents expressed concerns over the star's exemption from mandatory quarantine, worrying that it may cause virus transmission. 

According to Australian media, Kidman flew to Hong Kong from Sydney on August 12. Two days later, on Saturday, she was spotted shopping downtown accompanied by bodyguards, triggering many people to question whether she has violated the city's quarantine order. 

The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said that Kidman was exempted from undergoing quarantine by the government and was approved to enter Hong Kong for activities related to designated professional work, local media reported. 

Kidman was instead required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, stay in designated residence, get tested regularly and provide work-related itineraries.

Sydney, Australia, where Kidman left for Hong Kong, is dealing with an outbreak of the Delta variant. On Monday, the Hong Kong  government announced that it has designated Australia to a medium-risk area, which will come into effect from August 20. 

For travelers who arrived in Hong Kong from medium-risk areas, the quarantine period can be shortened to 14 days at most even for fully vaccinated arrivals. 

Many local residents expressed concerns over Kidman's exemption, worrying that coming from a city with a serious outbreak, Kidman and her staff may pose a risk to the city's overall epidemic control. Some have questioned whether the Hollywood actress was exempted solely due to her "superstar identity."

A total of 633 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in New South Wales, Australia on Wednesday, of which Sydney accounted for 545 cases.

David Hui, a government expert consultant and chair professor of respiratory medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, warned that Kidman's exemption is "certainly a crisis for Hong Kong's epidemic control." 

Sydney is experiencing an outbreak of the Delta variant virus, but Kidman came to Hong Kong to start work and shop immediately, Hui said, expressing hope that Kidman will take nucleic acid tests regularly to reduce the risk. 

The local transmission of COVID-19 in Hong Kong is largely under control, but the city still saw a steady inflow of imported cases over the past two months. The city has recorded around 12,000 COVID-19 cases in total. 

Global Times