Chris Hemsworth criticised for attending maskless party on social media

The Hollywood star was pictured at an 80s-themed party

Actor Chris Hemsworth has been criticised on social media after he posted photographs of himself and friends attending a 1980s-themed party in Australia. In photos uploaded to the Thor star's Instagram account, he and his wife Elsa Pataky could be seen dressed in classic 80s garb and posing next to friends. The caption on his post read: "A little 80s themed party never did any harm! Happy birthday @azzagrist" The post has prompted a torrent of criticism for the actor, from a number of followers who believe their behaviour to be irresponsible during a pandemic. "Isn't there a pandemic?" one commenter asked. Another said: "I forgot the pandemic doesn’t effect the elite." However, a number of other Instagram users were quick to jump into the comments to defend the actor, citing the fact that Australia's handling of coronavirus cases means that, over the past month, the country has seen fewer than 15 confirmed cases each day. One commenter said: "All the Americans in the comment section thinking every other country handled COVID as poorly as them. Australia is basically COVID Free." Another added: "Hey guys! Not every country handled Covid poorly like the United States! Australia and New Zealand are pretty much back to normal." And this one, I'm sure you'll agree, hit home hard: "Imagine a country implementing orders that strictly removed a virus & being able to party like its 2019." Australia and New Zealand have regularly been cited as prime examples of how to deal with the pandemic, after the shambles that have been the American and British responses. On January 16th, 20,000 people attended an open air concert in New Zealand, the largest attendance since the pandemic began, with the country's handling of the virus meaning that mass gatherings without social distancing have been allowed since the end of 2020.