Deyalsingh: No leave from quarantine on compassionate grounds

Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh is pleading with those in quarantine to understand that they cannot be released early on compassionate grounds.

At the Ministry of Health’s covid19 briefing on Wednesday, Deyalsingh said he and National Security Minister Stuart Young have been receiving requests for people to leave early to visit relatives they believe are dying.

However, globally, there is no slowing down in the rate of infection of covid19.

New Zealand, he said, did a “fantastic job” in managing the covid19 situation, but because of one “failure in quarantine protocols,” two sisters from England entered the country to visit a dying relative.

He said they left quarantine early on compassionate grounds and caused 320 new cases of covid19 in New Zealand.

“It’s not that Minister Young and I want to be harsh, it’s based on the protection of society. We understand this is difficult. No one asked for this, but we have the situation to manage”

Deyalsingh said the government is doing well with the rollback of lockdown measures and described the state as a “soft lockdown.”

The country is expecting 17 people from the Norwegian Cruise line to enter and go into quarantine.