Matt Damon and his family have touched down in Australia ahead of filming for Thor: Love and Thunder. But unlike many entering the country, the Hollywood A-lister isn’t undergoing two weeks of hotel quarantine.
WATCH BELOW: Matt Damon urges people to follow social distancing rules
Instead, Matt, his wife Luciana Barroso and their children have been granted an exemption to isolate at a private residence in NSW.
Dr Zac Turner, CEO of Concierge Doctors has clarified that the family “will be entirely segregated for the period of their quarantine and will participate in standardised testing and monitoring, in full compliance with current NSW Government requirements.
“NSW Police are also present to ensure the quarantine of the Damons is enforced. By undertaking quarantine in this way at their own cost, the Damons are subject to the same medical requirements that apply to everyone else entering NSW and importantly, their arrival in no way impacts the capacity available to bring Australians home.”
So why isn’t the Damon family bunkering down in a hotel room for 14 days like the majority of people entering the country?
“Matt Damon has a lot of security around him all the time and that would be a huge burden upon the quarantine structure and quarantine hotels,” Dr Turner explained.
The celebrity family initially quarantined for two weeks in a ski lodge in the US and had COVID tests every three days before arriving in Australia on Saturday by private jet.
The Damons then moved into their rented Byron Bay house, where they are paying for their own hospital-grade cleaning, private security, police monitoring, staff, meals and regular medical checks for two more weeks of quarantine.
Despite well wishes from NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and even Prime Minister Scott Morrison, not everyone was thrilled by the Damons’ arrival and accused them of getting special treatment due to Matt’s celebrity status.
“Of course he does. What a deeply flawed system we have that excludes Australians from coming home but welcomes Damon and allows home to isolate as a private home,” one person penned on Twitter.
“I think you can as long as you’re going to visit your friend Chris Hemsworth?” another joked, referring to the Damon family’s close relationship with Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky.
“And therein lies the problems! Elites get to do whatever they want it seems. Northern Beaches shut down for 4 weeks because of someone like Matt Damon being allowed to skip hotel quarantine! Think about it!” exclaimed a third.
Other A-listers who have foregone hotel quarantine include Dannii Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.
Masked Singer panellist Dannii and her son Ethan flew into Australia in July and reportedly spent 14 days at a Gold Coast private residence due to a medical exemption whereas Nicole and Keith flew from Tennessee to Sydney via private jet that same month with their daughters Sunday Rose, 12, and Faith Margaret, nine.
The Kidman Urban family were granted permission by the NSW Government to self-isolate for two weeks at their $6.5 million mansion in the Southern Highlands rather than at a quarantine hotel.
The NSW Government website says that exemptions are “only considered where there are strong medical, health or compassionate grounds, or the person is transiting out of NSW to an international destination other than a Pacific Island country.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
