Josh Brolin apologizes after 'irresponsible' visit to his dad James and Barbra Streisand's home amid lockdown
Josh Brolin has acknowledged that it was a mistake to visit his parents amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which prompted governments across the globe to enforce social distancing measures.
The 52-year-old 'Sicario' star sparked a backlash online after posting a picture of his visit at his father James Brolin and stepmother Barbra Streisand's home.
Shortly after the criticism, Brolin deleted the photo and posted a video with the caption, “Thanks for the reset. #respectsocialdistancing.” He is seen in the Instagram clip addressing his actions and apologizing for the same, Us Weekly reports.
“My father lives next door to us, and we had a plan to go see them and not be near them and that plan was broken and that’s our responsibility,” Josh explained on Saturday, April 18. “I think it was irresponsible.”
“You know, it’s hard to be honest sometimes," the 'Avengers: Endgame' actor continued. "It’s hard to be honest and say, ‘Maybe I screwed up’ and I knew that that was in the air, not because of the responses, but the responses brought me back to my own truth and it’s humbling as hell, man, because I know there’s some people out there that [have] no masks, no gloves, no interest in it.”
Josh noted that he has “been very responsible” thus far but apologized for his controversial decision to make the trip.
“I do feel responsible to my fellow man, period. So, my apologies," he added. "I’m not an advocate of doing anything outside of taking care of each other and making sure we get through this. Even if we go overboard and are too protective, at least we’re doing it for a reason.”
The novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc across the globe ever since it originated in China’s Wuhan, Hubei province. The United States alone has recorded more than 766,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with over 40,900 fatalities, as per John Hopkins tracker.
On March 12, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were among the first high-profile names to reveal they had tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2. Just days later, Idris Elba of The Wire fame revealed his own diagnosis and noted that he drew inspiration from the 63-year-old 'Forrest Gump' star to open up about his condition.
“I’m really proud of Tom Hanks, who is also someone in the public eye who came out and said they have it and has been public about it,” the 47-year-old 'Luther' actor said in a live Twitter video on March 17. “I was really motivated by Tom’s move there," he added.
Among other prominent names who have publicized their own battles with the virus are Pink, Sara Bareilles, Chris Cuomo, and George Stephanopoulos.
This comes amid reports that a cluster of new COVID-19 cases has been identified in China’s northeastern city of Harbin, in the Heilongjiang province, leading to fears of a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the outbreak was traced to an 87-year old, who was treated for a cerebral stroke in Harbin No 2 Hospital between April 2 and 6. He was then transferred to First Hospital, which is affiliated to Harbin Medical University.
The man, identified as Chen, may have infected over 30 people, including his four children, as well as patients, relatives, and medical staff at the two hospitals, according to the report.
