New Zealand relents on woman offered refuge by Taliban

WELLINGTON AFP Feb1, 2022-A pregnant New Zealand journalist who claimed to have nowhere to go but Afghanistan will be allowed to return home, after officials granted her an exemption from strict Covid-19 entry restrictions amid public outcry.   
Reporter Charlotte Bellis on Tuesday said she would return to New Zealand next month to give birth to her daughter, after being granted a rare place in state-managed quarantine following a second request.   
New Zealand’s borders have been closed for much of the last two years, as the country kept coronavirus at bay. Only 800 rooms per month are set aside for New Zealanders and visa holders who urgently need to return.   
 “We are so excited to return home,” Bellis said in a statement, thanking Kiwis for their support.   
The 35-year-old’s case has underscored the plight of Kiwis stranded overseas by tough virus-related border controls, and heaped pressure on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government to ease restrictions.   

 “We are disappointed it had to come to this,” Afghanistan-based Bellis said.