Why Hugh Jackman’s Coronavirus Hand-Washing Video Is Getting Blasted Right Now

Hugh Jackman posted a video about hand-washing on Instagram this weekend, but quickly deleted it after receiving online backlash. The Australian actor did a joyous dance as he scrubbed his hands for the recommended 20 seconds on Saturday, showing his followers how to make light of the coronavirus pandemic. Some viewers actually took issue with his technique.

Jackman was in a luxurious marble bathroom in his new hand-washing video. He scrubbed his hands to the tune of Doja Cat’s “Say So,” a song that has become popular on Tik Tok. While he was thorough with his hygiene, some viewers were upset that Jackman left the faucet running for the duration of the clip.

Commenters complained that Jackman was being incredibly wasteful, with the water on for a full 20 seconds — the time that experts say is needed to effectively scrub away the risk of coronavirus. Many left angry words for the actor, though Jackman himself had already mentioned his mistake in the caption.

After less than 12 hours, Jackman deleted the post from all of his social media channels, avoiding the backlash altogether. This had fans confused as well, however, splitover whether he should have acquiesced to the angry mobs on social media.

While Jackman is an Australia native, he spends most of his time living in New York City, according to a report by The Daily Mail. He stays there with hi wife, Deborra-Lee Furness and children, 19-year-old Oscar and 14-year-old Ava Eliot. New York is struggling with the spread of coronavirus, where public transportation and tight shared spaces make it hard to prevent community transmission.

Australia is battling the virus as well — at the time of this writing, there are 280 confirmed cases of the illness, and three deaths. Actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are both being treated for the virus there, since they were in the country to film Baz Luhrman’s upcoming Elvis Presley biopic.

Worldwide, there have been 156,054 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with a death toll of over 5,000. Experts expect the numbers of the infected to rise, as containment measures have failed in some places and instances of community transmission have been reported.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization officially categorized coronavirus as a global pandemic, urging world leaders to act quickly and decisively to stop it from getting worse. On Friday, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, freeing up federal funds for aid efforts on all fronts.