More MIQ madness

Stuff reports:

Brad Stephenson’s father only has one or two days to live.

But Stephenson has been denied an exemption to leave MIQ early to say a final farewell despite being double vaccinated and having tested negative for Covid-19.

Stephenson has been fully vaccinated since June, and has taken three PCR tests in the last nine days. But his application to leave the Crowne Plaza facility early has been declined on the grounds he poses too much of a health risk to New Zealand.

How someone ever thought giving bureaucrats the final say over life and death situations like this is beyond me. Just as the tough immigration decisions go to the Minister, as he can use discretion to take account of individual circumstances, so should these sort of decisions. I bet you any elected (not appointed) official who actually has to face meeting those affected by their decisions would grant permission to leave early.

And when we have over 100 new cases a day already in the community, the decision goes from merely uncaring to truly despicable.