'Avengers' star Evangeline Lilly refuses to self-quarantine amid coronavirus outbreak

Despite her Marvel Cinematic Universe cohort Idris Elba and Lost co-star Daniel Dae Kim testing positive for the coronavirus, actor Evangeline Lilly has dismissed COVID-19 as merely a 'respiratory flu' not worth self-quarantining for.

On Thursday, the actor, who has appeared as The Wasp in MCU films Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame, took to Instagram and wrote, "Just dropped my kids off at gymnastics camp. They all washed their hands before going in. They are playing and laughing."

When one person wrote in the comments section that things were not as smooth in New Mexico, Lilly suggested that the situation was being blown out of proportion. "I think we all need to slow down, take a breath, and look at the facts we are being presented with," she replied. "They do not add up to the all-out, global lockdown, control, pandemonium and insanity we are experiencing."

She added, "Some people value their lives over freedom, some people value freedom over their lives. We all make our choices." The actor also revealed that she is living with her two children, and her ailing father, who is battling stage four Leukaemia.

Needless to say, the actor's comments didn't go down too well. "I hope there's enough hospital beds and ventilators when you need it," one person wrote. "You are a heartless, selfish, person. Italy has military trucks driving coffins away to be cremated and these people won't even get a funeral while their lives ones sob heartbroken," wrote another.

The coronavirus has infected 240000 people globally, and 206 in India. On the flipside, several celebrities are using their platforms to spread awareness about the virus, both in India and abroad. On Friday, actors such as Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Madhuri Dixit, Alia Bhatt, and others took part in a video message, in which they offered guidelines to reduce the spread of the virus. Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot on Thursday united her friends Mark Ruffalo, Amy Adams, Sarah Silverman, Sia, Cara Delevigne, Natalie Portman, Pedro Pascal, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and others to sing John Lennon's Imagine.