2pc of applicants get compassionate leave
Only a handful of international returnees have been granted leave from managed isolation on compassionate grounds.
Data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment shows that between July 13 – when the ministry took over management of the facilities – and September 23, only 2 per cent of compassionate leave exemptions were approved.
‘‘We are very sympathetic to the situations of people applying for exemptions on compassionate grounds, which cover requests after the death of a family member or to visit a seriously ill relative,’’ a spokesperson from the ministry said.
‘‘However, ensuring the safety of all New Zealanders during this global pandemic is critical.’’
A total of 677 exceptional circumstance exemptions were made on compassionate grounds over the 73-day period.
Of these, 19 were approved, 435 were declined and 168 were withdrawn or not progressed further.
The exemption process is in place to aid people deemed to be facing difficult personal circumstances, but it is very rare for exemptions to be granted.
The number of general exceptional circumstance exemptions granted is also low. Between July 13 and September 23, only 4 per cent of the 1136 applications received were approved while 688 were declined and 271 weren’t progressed or were withdrawn.
Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis and are only approved if there is confidence the public health risk can be properly managed. ‘‘The threshold for approval is high and the majority of applications are declined because the risk is too high,’’ the ministry spokesperson said.
In making a decision, the exemptions team assesses where the applicant has travelled from, how many countries and airports they transited through, what work they were involved in prior to arriving in New Zealand, and who they’re trying to visit.
Anyone who is showing Covid19 symptoms or is isolating with someone who has symptoms, is considered a close contact of a case, or travelled on the same flight as a confirmed case is likely to have their application declined.
A number of returning New Zealanders have been faced with the difficult reality of not being able to see dying loved ones or attend their funerals.
In September, a New Zealander who travelled from Queensland, Australia, to see his dying father wasn’t granted leave from managed isolation, despite his father’s doctor promising to ensure that all necessary Covid-related precautions would be in place.