Covid 19 coronavirus: Wairarapa woman who dies of brain cancer asks for a place in MIQ for her sister

By Nita Blake-Persen of RNZ

A Wairarapa woman dying of brain cancer pleads with the government to make an exception for her sister, who lives in the UK, to be placed in controlled isolation for emergency reasons.

With the isolation managed to the best of their ability, Kiwis abroad face anguish if they need to return home due to unforeseen tragedies at home.

Of the more than 800 applications that have been submitted for emergency assignments, only 15 have been granted, and Anne Myers’ sister has not made the cut.

Myers was found to have the BRCA gene two years ago and underwent a double mastectomy, ovarian removal, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

About five months ago he learned that the cancer had moved into his brain.

“I did brutal radiation that almost killed me, only to find that the cancer had re-metastasized in my brain and they gave me months to live,” he said.

Three weeks ago she discovered that the additional treatment had not worked.

Myers’ health is now declining rapidly – having celebrated his niece’s 21st birthday just a few weeks ago, he now uses a wheelchair and takes morphine every night.

She is desperate to see her younger sister, who lives in the UK with her husband and children. With full managed isolation, their only option is an emergency assignment, something they have been denied.

“I’m dying, I’m not trying to make a meal out of it, but when I hear that West Indian cricketers may be wandering around just having fun breaking the rules, and there are people like me out there.

“It’s just not right, it’s just not fair.”

Myers’ family is not requesting any exemptions from the quarantine process in New Zealand; They have not booked for the available January MIQ spots because it may be too late.

“I really don’t have time. And all I want is to see my sister, so that we can be together. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.”

The government has not allocated a specific number of rooms for emergency allocation applications, and said in a statement that there were very restrictive criteria around them.

“This is a last resort option and the threshold is extremely high. You can apply for an emergency allowance if you are a New Zealand citizen or have a resident class visa without a voucher that poses an imminent threat to your life or serious risk to health, which requires an urgent trip to New Zealand. “

The emergency application process has been in place since October 30 and as of November 6 there were 885 applications, but only 15 had been approved.

Myers is not alone

Myers isn’t the only one struggling with the system – Holly Tasker lives in Paris and is trying to get home urgently after losing her job.

She booked her flight months ago and has been trying to secure a managed isolation spot every day since the coupons became available, but with no luck.

“I have seen many things in the media about people who are in worse situations than me … but also, on the other hand, I have seen people who have recently lost their jobs in the second confinement, which I have booked long after I have given places “.

He asked why there was no order of priority for people who had previous reservations to fly home or who had more desperate situations.

“It’s not a vacation for me, I want to be home.”

House of Travel Chief Commercial Officer Brent Thomas said the demand for managed insulation was huge, and the distress was real.

“Certainly there have been people who have had family tragedies to come back to, the most obvious being if they have had the death of a close relative.

“Obviously, it’s a very stressful time at best and the complexities of landing a vacancy where there is very limited space only adds to additional pressure and anxiety.”

– RNZ