New Zealand Journalist Charlotte Bellis has said she cannot return from Afghanistan, where she had been reporting, after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government rejected her application for an exemption to gain entry.
Bellis’s case has spurred a heated debate on social media about New Zealand’s strict COVID-19 rules and its tough border controls, with some calling Bellis’s case an example of bureaucratic “cruelty” but others defending the system.
Chris Bunny, head of Managed Isolation and Quarantine, said Bellis’ January 24 application was rejected because it was for travel on February 27 – more than the 14 days after application allowed for people needing time-critical medical treatment.
Bunny said in a statement that Bellis received a response inviting her to reapply within the 14-day window and contact the agency if she intended to bring her flights forward.
He also said the agency wrote to Bellis on Sunday (30 Jan) saying she may apply under another emergency allocation for New Zealand citizens and residents in a location or situation where there is a serious risk to their safety and their only option is to return.
New Zealand’s borders have been shut to foreigners since March 2020. The government pushed back plans for a phased reopening from mid-January to the end of February out of concern about a potential Omicron outbreak, as in neighboring Australia.
A country of five million people, New Zealand has had 15,910 confirmed coronavirus cases and 52 deaths. (NNT)
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