Is Nicole Kidman back in Hong Kong? False reports spark fresh debate over city’s Covid-19 quarantine exemptions

Chinese-language media reports that actress has returned to finish shooting TV show following filming in August, when she was allowed to skip isolation

But official source says Kidman is not in Hong Kong, while government notes any exemptions are for a single stay only

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Actress Nicole Kidman films a scene in a Hong Kong market in August. Photo: AFP

Gigi Choy,Denise TsangandElizabeth Cheung

Published: 7:00am, 15 Oct 2021Updated: 10:21am, 15 Oct 2021

Hollywood star Nicole Kidman has not returned to Hong Kong to continue filming a television drama, the Post has learned, contrary to local news reports that sparked fresh debate over the government’s policy for Covid-19 quarantine exemptions.

Several Chinese-language media outlets reported Kidman was seen on Fa Yuen Street in Mong Kok on Tuesday, where part of the Amazon Studios series Expats was being shot.

The Oscar-winning actress arrived in Hong Kong in August for a brief stay to begin shooting the drama and received special dispensation to skip the mandatory isolation period.

A health regulation grants exemptions to certain groups of people, such as business executives and diplomats, subject to the approval of the city’s No 2 official. Kidman was back in the United States by early September, according to her publicist.

The Mong Kong area where the Expats TV series is shooting. Photo: Winson Wong

A government source said on Thursday the actress had not returned to the city, and several stall owners in the area said they had not seen her during the filming.