Influencers in Bali face deportation over mask face paint stunt

Two influencers in Bali, Indonesia who caused an uproar on social media after sharing a video of them wearing face paint disguised as a face mask are now facing deportation from the country.

CNN is reporting that Josh Parler Lin and Leia Se had their passports seized by the local government and are now at risk of being kicked out of the Asian nation for the viral stunt which has been viewed millions of times on YouTube after it was shared on 22nd April.

“No one noticed! Even the security. I can’t believe this works,” Se bragged as she entered the grocery store in the video but people clearly noticed online as it was a clear violation of local Covid laws.

Speaking to local media I Putu Surya Dharma, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights in Bali said: “They will be examined together with Immigration to take the decision on whether or not to deport them.”

The offence is believed to be the first the pair has committed. Lin is from Taiwan but lives in the United States while Se is a citizen of Russia.

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Lin has since removed the video from his YouTube channel, where he has more than 3 million followers and posted an apology on Instagram.

Now wearing an actual face mask, Lin says: “The intention to make this video was not at all to disrespect or invite everyone to not wear a mask. I make this video to entertain people because I am a content creator and it is my job to entertain people. We promise not to do it again.”

Like many nations, Indonesia has been severely affected by coronavirus but Bali, which relies heavily on tourism, had hoped to reopen by September 2020 but the situation so far has not allowed for that.