NZ caves to allow triple-vaxxed woman to come home
The government of New Zealand has finally caved in response to backlash and will allow one of its residents to return home.
Charlotte Bellis was forced to turn to the Taliban for safety last week as her home country of New Zealand barred her from re-entering due to its COVID policies.
Bellis, a journalist for Al Jazeera, went to Afghanistan to report on the Taliban’s return to control over the country after the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal of U.S. troops in August. She is known for confronting the Taliban over how they plan to protect women and girls.
But when Bellis, who is triple-vaccinated and 25 weeks pregnant, tried to return to New Zealand, she found that she was barred from re-entering the country due to its “zero-COVID policy”.
Those who enter New Zealand are required to spend 10 days in isolation, and the country’s entry requests are backlogged. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has instituted a lottery system to determine who gets to enter the country.
Bellis said that she kept waking up at 3 AM and trying to play the “MIQ” (Managed Isolation and Quarantine) lottery.
“We were devastated,” recounted Bellis. “There was no way home other than to apply for emergency MIQ spots. We had read the horror stories of pregnant women being rejected, seen the statistics of just 5 per cent of Kiwis being approved if they are unable to stay in their current location and only 14 per cent being approved if there is a risk to their health and safety.”
That’s when Bellis turned to the Taliban for safety. According to Bellis, the Taliban responded positively to her request.
“When the Taliban offers you – a pregnant, unmarried woman – safe haven, you know your situation is messed up,” she said.
Due to the backlash, New Zealand has since relented and will allow Bellis back in the country in March.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is attributed with using COVID-19 to exert total control over the population and plunging the country into a dictatorship.
In October, Ardern proudly asserted in an interview that she is using the COVID vaccine to create two separate classes.
“So, you’ve basically said, this is gonna be like, well it’s almost like, and you probably don’t see it like this, [inaudible] two different classes of people, if you’re vaccinated or if you’re unvaccinated,” Ardern was asked by a reporter. “You have all these rights if you are vaccinated–”
“That it is what it is,” confirmed Ardern, smiling. “So, yep. Yep.”
Over 90% of New Zealand’s population is vaccinated. The country’s COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing, with 197 new cases and 53 deaths in the past day.