Compassionate exemptions from managed isolation for COVID-19 have been suspended by the Health Minister.
Health Minister Dr David Clark says he has required the Director General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, to suspend the exemptions in order to ensure the system is working as intended.
It will only be reinstated once the Government has confidence in the system.
This comes after New Zealand reported two new cases of COVID-19 today from women who flew into the country from the United Kingdom on June 7.
The women in their 30s and 40s were allowed to leave managed isolation and travel to Wellington by private vehicle on June 13 on compassionate grounds.
Ashley says they had applied for an exemption on Friday 12 June to visit their dying parent and were allowed to travel to Wellington in a private vehicle to do so the following day, on 13 June. Their parent died that night.
One of the women had mild symptoms, the other was symptom free.
As part of their agreed plan under the compassionate circumstances agreement, they were tested in Wellington. Both have since gone into self-isolation in the Wellington region.
David Clark says, 'Compassionate exemptions should be rare and rigorous and it appears that this case did not include the checks that we expected to be happening. That's not acceptable.”
'Our border measures are a key line of defence against COVID-19 and we must ensure they are as robust as possible.
'The Director General will be reviewing the processes around these latest two cases, noting that he has already made it a requirement that all individuals must return a negative COVID test before leaving managed isolation facilities from now on.
'I have asked the Director General to consider if there are any other measures we can put in place to strengthen our health protections at the border.
'New Zealand remains in an enviable position and the risk to the public remains very low – but as Health Minister I want to ensure we are doing all that we can to keep COVID-19 at bay.
'We have previously been challenged in the courts for our stringent approach, however to ensure COVID doesn't easily get back into the country we need assurance our border measures are as tight as possible.”
7 comments
It’s Definitely Tough
Posted on 16-06-2020 19:56 | By Bob Landy
My mother in law is seriously ill overseas and my wife is from a culture where family is very strong. It’s not easy, but everyone - and I stress EVERYONE - has to pull together on this.
Not good enough.
Posted on 16-06-2020 20:30 | By Kancho
Our covid-19 free county so hard fought for has been compromised by very slack procedures. Seems the borders and isolation procedure has not been good at all . Only a few days after a report of people supposed to be isolated walking the streets with the public and new arrivals mixing with those already completing isolation is sloppy and potentially a point of transmission . Its just not good enough ! Now people with covid 19 in the country with contact with hotel staff, maybe others at boarder control airports other travellers on the plane and who knows who else inadvertently without thinking while travelling. Get it right get it tight!
Who was responsible?
Posted on 16-06-2020 21:14 | By The Sage
Who was responsible for giving these exemptions. Someone in my street was not permitted an exemption to drive over the Kaimais, to see her dying Father, in the Waikato. He did not have COVID. How are people given exemptions to fly across the world and potentially put a huge amount of peopel at risk en route. Not to mention us in NZ who locked down for 8 weeks. the law is an ass....or the person administering it.
Suspended?
Posted on 17-06-2020 07:48 | By First Responder
I think David Clark should be suspended.....like permanently.
who did it
Posted on 17-06-2020 08:22 | By hapukafin
Someone has got to be held accountable for this sarga.Who gave the instruction in running the isolation center and who made this moron descision to let people out of isolation without testing espescially when one of the person minor symptoms.Health Minister needs to go ,he should have made sure rules in place had all the i dotted and t crossed whether if its a old or new rule.The rest of the country has made their effort countable to bring us to level 1.
Dreadful.
Posted on 17-06-2020 12:38 | By morepork
The case the Sage reports is just tragic. We need to have exemptions for cases like this, BUT the people getting the exemption must expect to be tested and, If necessary, isolated. It has been done with the two people from U.K. (also a sad case), but we ALL need to know that our border control is erring on the side of tightness, not looseness. All of the good work will be undone if this doesn't happen.
There's no point ...
Posted on 17-06-2020 12:40 | By morepork
... in requiring visitors to go into isolation if it is not monitored and enforced. I really hope the cases commented on here will cause a much more stringent review of current procedures.
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