Farewell dad on Facetime, Kiwi told
US-based woman begs for exemption to quarantine so she can reach bedside
ANew Zealand woman living in the United States who pleaded for an exemption to quarantine rules to allow her to see her dying father has been told to farewell him over Facetime.
Colin Henderson lies in Christchurch Hospital’s intensive care unit on a ventilator, more than 11,000km away from his daughter, Rachel, in Los Angeles.
She’d hoped to fly to New Zealand without staying in quarantine for 14 days, in place because of the Covid19 border control rules, and asked the Government last Thursday to allow her to see the 73-year-old in his last days. She never heard back.
Just hours before Colin, who is suffering kidney failure, was to have another surgery, things took a turn for the worse. “We were informed that we needed to say our last goodbyes in 30 minutes as he would not last the day,” Rachel Henderson told the Herald.
“I’m in shock . . . my family is heartbroken.”
Hospital staff organised a Facetime call with Rachel and her sister, who lives in Australia, and their families to see their dad for one last time.
Colin’s elderly sister is at his bedside for his final hours, Henderson said. Henderson said earlier that she was aware she was one of many people unable to see dying family members thanks to strict rules meant to stop the spread of Covid-19.
She described her father’s situation as “absolutely horrible”.
“I am trying to be strong for the kids and my family. But I’m not doing particularly well . . . I feel physically sick, I can’t eat, I’m having trouble sleeping. I’m basically a complete wreck.”
She says she supported the Prime Minister’s approach to the Covid-19 pandemic but was angry and frustrated that there’s been no room to move in unique situations like hers.
“It’s hard to explain this feeling of complete and utter helplessness, stuck here on the other side of the world and I can’t do anything.”
The Government has faced increasing criticism in the past week over its stringent quarantine rules, after it was revealed that of 24 people in quarantine who asked to leave early to see dying relatives, not one was allowed out.
All 24 cases are being reviewed after a High Court judge overruled the Government’s Covid-19 lockdown order on Friday to allow a son to be at home with his dying father.
Justice Tracey Walker ruled Oliver Christiansen could leave quarantine under strict conditions to see his father, saying that health officials’ decisions to decline permission were legally flawed.
In light of Walker’s ruling, the Prime Minister has ordered a review of all 24 cases, with findings due by the end of the week.
Colin Henderson had urgent openheart surgery last Thursday to repair two leaky heart valves.
While the operation went well, hospital staff on Tuesday told his daughter that her father was back in ICU with a suspected bleed and had been put on life support.
She immediately called the NZ Embassy, who advised she could travel here but would have to be quarantined for two weeks before she could see her dad. They put her in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who sent her an exemption form to fill out.
“I believe it’s every person’s right to see their very sick, dying family members. I’m very low risk — I know there’s always a risk but quite frankly it just seems cruel not to let me be there.”
“I know I’m not alone,” Rachel told the Herald. “There are at least 20 other people like myself that have been denied access to their loved ones.”
Ardern this week defended the decisions that had been made around compassionate exemption but said it was right to go back and review them, saying the cases were “devastating”.
I know there’s always a risk but . . . it just seems cruel not to let me be there.
Rachel Henderson