The New Zealand government has allowed pregnant journalist, Charlotte Bellis to return back to her home country after her application was rejected due to strict Covid protocols.
While giving a press briefing related to Covid, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister, Grant Robertson said, “There is a place in managed isolation and quarantine for Ms Bellis and I urge her to take it up.”
He also denied that she was being allowed entry after the outrage caused by the media reporting. He said the staff had to daily with deal with emergency applications.
He continued, “They always try to make contact with people and try to make arrangements work.”
Read More: New Zealand denies re-entry of pregnant national, Taliban offers refuge
Bellis was reporting for Al Jazeera in Afghanistan and came to know about her pregnancy on her return to Doha, Qatar. She left her job in October after she found out because a pregnancy out of wedlock is illegal in Qatar. She went to Belgium, the home country of her partner, Jim Huylebroek. As Bellis is not a resident of the country, she could not stay there for a longer period.
The Taliban offered her refuge when she had no option except to travel back to Afghanistan with her partner as both had visas.
