She Mocked COVID Rules, Got Escorted Out of Country

A high-profile British commentator who traveled to Australia and then mocked that nation's COVID restrictions was quickly deported back home on Monday, reports the BBC. Katie Hopkins on Friday posted a since-deleted video on Instagram boasting that she intended to flout rules at her Sydney hotel by greeting staffers who delivered food "naked and without a mask." Sydney has lockdown rules in place because of the fast-spreading delta variant, and masked guests are supposed to wait at least 30 seconds before opening their doors when meals are delivered, notes the AP. Hopkins, however, says such restrictions aren't necessary. "Lockdown is and remains the greatest hoax in human history," she said in the video. She also boasted that the stunt was just "one game I'm playing" with hotel authorities, per the Washington Post.

Australia has greatly restricted travel into the country, but Hopkins had been granted an exception to appear on the reality show Big Brother VIP. Australia's Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews called Hopkins' comments "appalling," and authorities canceled her visa and escorted her to the airport, where she boarded a commercial flight back to Britain on Monday. The production company behind the reality show says her contract has been canceled. Hopkins has previously gained attention for posts viewed as anti-Muslim and anti-immigration, and the AP notes that former President Trump raised her profile by retweeting her before he was banned from the platform. (More COVID-19 stories.)