Bali to deport influencers after viral face mask prank

Bali is deporting two tourists for flouting Covid-19 restrictions. Courtesy Unsplash

A pair of social media influencers are being deported from Bali after posting a prank video that saw one of them sporting a painted-on face mask in public.

Russian influencer Leia Se, who posts under the handle @lisha0902, and US-based Taiwanese YouTuber Josh Paler Lin, who has 3.4 million followers, posted the video, which saw Se walking around a Bali supermarket with the painted-on blue mask.

In the video, which went viral, Lin expresses surprise that few people seem to notice Se’s flouting of the island’s Covid-19 safety regulations. He has since deleted the clip and issued an online apology. "The intention of this video was not in any way meant to disrespect or encourage people not to wear masks.

"I made this video to entertain people because I'm a content creator and it is my job to entertain people. However, I did not realise that what I did could actually bring a lot of negative comments," he added.

Se applied the make-up after store security initially turned her away for not wearing a mask, but the clip sparked outrage in Bali, where virus cases and deaths have been climbing.

"We plan to deport them," said Jamaruli Manihuruk, head of Bali's legal and justice office. "We have to wait until flights to their respective countries are available – hopefully soon."