Hong Kong — Actor Shawn Yue, 39, was accused of breaching social distancing rules only two days after he confessed to suffering from panic disorder. On Tuesday (June 2), he was spotted at a party in a restaurant in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District.
An Apple Daily reader said there were about 200 people at the party and social distancing rules were not observed. Yue was not wearing a mask and he was also spotted smoking indoors. At 11 pm the party ended abruptly when five police officers arrived at the venue. They were most likely tipped off by the public.
The reader said that many partygoers were seen leaving through a side door and walking to the open space at the waterfront outside the restaurant. It is reported that the restaurant belongs to category B of Hong Kong’s “vaccine bubble” scheme, which means it is only allowed to stay open till 10 pm with up to four people per table. So it cannot host a party till 11 pm.
However, the police said that when they arrived at the restaurant, the place was closed and there were no customers at the scene. Groups of more than two are not allowed to gather in public under the latest social distancing regulations. It is also still mandatory to wear a face mask in public settings. Those caught without a mask face a maximum fine of HK$10,000 (S$1,710) while those caught participating in a prohibited group gathering may be fined HK$5,000 (S$855).
Yue is married to Taiwanese model Sarah Wang with whom he has two kids, three-year-old Cody and six-month-old Chu Xin.
Only two days before the party, he went on Instagram Stories two days to share about his battle with panic disorder. His first panic attack occurred three years ago during a flight when he suddenly had difficulty breathing, according to 8days.sg.
He said: “I suddenly got very scared. My hands and feet were numb, and I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was going to die, so I rushed to the flight attendant and said ‘I can’t [fly], I want to go back, I don’t want to fly.
“The flight attendant asked if there was a doctor on the plane and there happened to be a foreign doctor. After the doctor checked me, he gave me a tranquilliser and I managed to complete the journey safely. Later, I went to see a doctor and it was confirmed that [I have] panic disorder.”
Yue’s panic disorder was caused by long-term work pressure and he was on medication for a year. He thought he had recovered from the illness. However, he suffered a relapse recently, which made him “very depressed and scared”.
“I’m afraid I won’t get better in the future,” he wrote.
However, the actor remains optimistic and believes he can overcome it. He also encouraged those of his followers who are suffering from panic order to stay positive and optimistic.
“Don’t be afraid, the illness will be cured,” he said./TISG