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The Government encourages Kiwis who need to return home to take advantage of a screening system for Urgently Managed Quarantine and Isolation (MIQ) locations.
This follows a U-turn on a request for an emergency MIQ location for Trev Ponting, 46, based in Japan, who has brain cancer only months old and wants to return home to see his family.
Ponting’s request was denied on Friday, but on Saturday, in response to questions from Stuff, an MIQ spokeswoman said the request “was reviewed and approved today.”
On Sunday, an MIQ spokesperson said Ponting had requested a review, which was “approved as an exceptional circumstance as it did not meet any of the standard criteria.”
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Between October 30 and January 24, a total of 1,642 requests for emergency assignments were made, of which 609 were approved.
The spokesperson said the decisions were not easy to make, but could be reversed for reasons including new information or changes in people’s situations.
Room availability is also taken into account at the time of a request and the number of emergency locations is continually reviewed.
Supplied
Trev Ponting wants to go home after his health has deteriorated.
“At the beginning of December we expanded the range of circumstances that we considered and also made available around 150 rooms per fortnight for those who need to travel urgently.”
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said reversing Ponting’s request was an operational decision.
“As a general rule, while the Ministers agree on the criteria, they do not get involved in the decisions of individual cases. There is a process in place so that decisions can be reviewed and, in some cases, granted after a second review.
“We understand the stress and anxiety that can run in the family when a person’s application is denied, especially when it comes to a serious and life-threatening illness.”
Supplied / Stuff
Trev Ponting, 46, was diagnosed with brain tumors in late 2019 and was treated in Japan, where he lives with his wife Aiko and their two children, 3-year-old Mia and 18-month-old Toa. A family photo.
Hipkins said he encouraged the use of the review process in these situations.
“The MIQ system handles several hundred emergency allocation applications each week, and overall they do it well.
“I am pleased to be able to find a solution in this case.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that while she was not familiar with the details of the Ponting case, the government has tried to build capacity for “these horrible situations.”
But he said he supports the work of MIQ staff, who do their best to assess hundreds of emergency requests for personal reasons.
Ardern said that at this stage, they are not looking to increase emergency MIQ capacity.
“Every person who returns is a risk to New Zealand … We must keep it at a manageable level.”
