Australia to deport commentator Hopkins for quarantine boast

Far-right British commentator Katie Hopkins will be deported from Australia after boasting on social media that she planned to breach quarantine rules

CANBERRA, Australia -- Far-right British commentator Katie Hopkins will be deported from Australia after she boasted on social media that she planned to breach the country's quarantine rules, an official said on Monday. Hopkins traveled to Australia to appear in a reality television program and was in a 14-day mandatory hotel quarantine in Sydney before filming was to start. Her flight to Australia created outrage after the government last week halved the number of Australian citizens and permanent residents allowed to return home each week to 3,000 to try to reduce the risk of COVID-19 leaking from hotel quarantine. More than 34,000 Australians who want to come home remain stranded overseas. Australia’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, are under lockdown to contain a coronavirus outbreak caused by the more contagious delta variant.