Coronavirus Australia: No breach for Sacha Baron Cohen and Natalie Portman

Police say Hollywood celebrities Sacha Baron Cohen and Natalie Portman did not breach health orders despite taking a four-hour boat ride while Sydney-wide restrictions were in place.

Celebrity buddies Natalie Portman and Sacha Baron Cohen head out on a boat trip on Sydney’s Pittwater. Picture: Matrix

Police say Hollywood celebrities Sacha Baron Cohen and Natalie Portman did not breach health orders despite taking a four-hour boat ride while Sydney-wide restrictions were in place preventing “non-essential” travel.

Police said they had conducted a review and confirmed the activity did not breach restrictions after disclosing earlier on Friday that officers were making inquiries about the cruise after community concerns.

“Police have reviewed the information and confirm the activity, and the number of people in the group, compiled with the (public health orders) in force at that time,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said. “There will be no further action taken.”

Baron Cohen, Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied hired a boat from Barrenjoey Boating Services at Palm Beach on Monday. Cohen’s children were also on board along with Portman and Millepied’s.

Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen, left, and Natalie Portman with husband Benjamin Millepied, right.

Since June 26, residents of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, central coast and Wollongong have been prohibited from leaving their homes and are subject to “stay at home orders” in an attempt to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Restrictions mean residents are allowed to leave their homes only if they are shopping for food or other essential goods and services, exercising outdoors, or for work or education. Outdoor recreation is permitted, but health orders do not make clear what falls within those guidelines.

NSW Police earlier said they were making inquiries about the boat ride after being made aware of “community concern”. The group picked up the boat at 2pm, dropping it back about 4pm.

Australia has been a hotbed for celebrities looking to escape the US, where in January new cases surpassed 300,000 a day.

Portman and Millepied arrived in Australia by private jet in September to film Thor: Love and Thunder.

The Weekend Australian understands the two families left Sydney’s eastern suburbs for Whale Beach, where they have been holidaying since the beginning of lockdown. Millepied left before the lockdown was announced, just before the start of the school holidays. Portman joined him separately.

However, Portman returned from Whale Beach in the middle of the lockdown, before again returning to the beaches.

On Friday, Barrenjoey Boating was still open.

A representative said boat hire was not a concern because “there’s thousands of people walking around”. “No one’s really listening to (stay at home orders), we try and enforce it, we do enforce it,” he said.