Marvel Star Refuses To Practise Social Distancing: ‘Some People Value Freedom Over Their Lives’

Fans are outraged at actor Evangeline Lilly, who has said she refuses to practice social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Posting a photo of a cup of tea on Instagram, the Ant-Man and the Wasp star said things were #businessasusual as she dropped her kids off at gymnastics camp.

After many followers commented about her lack of concern around the coronavirus, Lilly responded to many outlining how she felt the whole situation had been possibly exaggerated.

“There’s ‘something’ every election year,” Lilly responded to one commenter who claimed they felt “something is going on behind the scenes”.

When another pointed out the potential risk of refusing to practice social distancing for those in more vulnerable health conditions -- like the elderly or those with preexisting conditions -- Lilly responded:

“I am living with my father at the moment, who has stage four leukaemia. I am also immune compromised at the moment. I have two young kids.

“Some people value their lives over freedom, some people value freedom over their lives. We all make our choices.”

In another comment, Lilly said she felt like governments were taking too much control in response to what she felt was just a “respiratory flu”.

“Let’s be vigilant right now,” she wrote, “keeping a close eye on our leaders, making sure they don’t abuse this moment to steal away more freedoms and grab more power.”

As of this morning there have been nearly 9,800 deaths worldwide from the COVID-19 virus, and with more than 236,000 confirmed cases and almost 85,000 people recovering. Health departments have noted social distancing is one of the greatest tools for slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

Though posted several days ago, Lilly’s post remains unedited and her comments still visible, inciting more backlash in recent days with some labelling the actor ‘egotistical’.

“There is not one doctor... not one health professional that would agree with you on your view,” another infuriated commenter wrote. “I would hate for you to sacrifice some daily freedom in the short term to save lives.”

Earlier on Friday, Lilly's former LOST co-star Daniel Dae Kim tested positive for COVID-19, posting a 10-minute video to his Instagram.

"I’ll be ok, but I wanted share my journey with you in the hopes that you find it informative or helpful," Kim wrote.

Featured image: Getty Images.