Australian actor Anthony LaPaglia’s advice to COVID sceptics
He has seen first-hand the damage that COVID-19 has wreaked in the US, and has endured two stints in Australian hotel quarantine. Now actor Anthony LaPaglia has a tough message for coronavirus sceptics: Educate yourself on the science.
Entertainment
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After his second stint in hotel quarantine, veteran actor Anthony LaPaglia has a message for those who claim COVID-19 is fake, or that lockdowns are unnecessary.
“I would say to the sceptics, having just come from LA, the virus is real,” LaPaglia told The Sunday Telegraph.
“Wearing masks does cut down the infection numbers. As does washing your hands and social distancing. These seem so minor compared to the alternative.
“It’s not a game of beating the system. The virus already did that. Use your head. Educate yourself on the actual science and stop reading unsubstantiated social media critics.”
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The Golden Globe winner’s plea for Australians to take the global pandemic seriously comes after news this week that one in four Victorians who returned a positive COVID test were not at home when defence force personnel came knocking.
“Ultimately it’s up to the individual to take responsibility for their attitude about quarantine,” the 61-year-old said.
“Personally I felt strongly about paying attention to science. The virus doesn’t care if you are black or white, male of female, outraged or accepting. It’s going to do as it wishes.
“To view it as a personal affront seems shortsighted and an indication that one has not researched it enough.
“But I’m a science guy, so it seemed like quarantine was necessary to keep not only me but everyone safer. It’s what’s required to ensure that. Not hard to reconcile in my mind. I’d prefer not to politicise this and vilify those who felt differently. That’s their choice.”
While mandatory hotel quarantine conditions have been criticised by many return travellers, LaPaglia speaks mostly positively of his experience.
The Without A Trace actor came out of quarantine one week ago and is in Melbourne in pre-production for an unspecified project.
He has been in hotel quarantine twice — once in Melbourne and more recently in Sydney — following trips to the US.
While his Melbourne experience was less pleasant, he still felt it was vital.
“It was surprisingly punitive,” he said.
“No windows that opened at all for fresh air and a 15-minute walk every second day accompanied by a guard.
“There was a day I tried for several hours to get a representative on the phone for blood pressure meds with no luck.
“I’d had enough so I put my sneakers on and decided to get their attention by walking out of my room. The problem was resolved.
“I cut them a break because at that point no one really understood the pandemic issue.
“I don’t want to criticise Melbourne too harshly as it was very early on in the pandemic.”
His second quarantine was in Sydney at the Accor Novotel in Sydney Olympic Park and it was a much more positive experience.
“It was immediately apparent this was different,” he said.
“The Australian military was in charge of putting our bags into the bus and getting us on board. On arrival at the hotel the NSW police took over and took our information and assigned us our rooms as the military escorted us to our rooms.”
LaPaglia made special mention of the Novotel staff, who went above and beyond to make his stay pleasant and on check-out left balloons and a gift basket at his door.
“The staff were attentive and couldn’t have been nicer or more personable,” he said.
“I had ordered a bottle of vodka not realising that was not allowed because of the size of the bottle. So Paul Brown the manager of the hotel sent me a few minibar bottles of vodka to compensate. The desk staff was friendly and very helpful.”
As for what the global pandemic means for the local and international film industry, LaPaglia simply said it has been “devastating”.