A high-profile journalist was denied permission to return home in order to have her child.

Charlotte Bellis, a Christchurch native and former journalist for Al Jazeera has been the subject of headlines all over the globe after she revealed that the Taliban offered to give her asylum in Afghanistan when New Zealand refused.

It's easy to imagine what the tabloids would do. Her story is not the only example of the pain, frustration, fury, and tragedy that comes with an unneeded system.

When Covid was unknown, MIQ could be justified. There was no vaccine. When people didn’t know what they were dealing. It's here.

Both Omicron and Delta variants are making the rounds in this country. There is finally acceptance - if it not from the PM at least from Chris Hipkins or Grant Robertson – that we must learn to live with Covid.

Contact tracing is absurd. The PM discovered she was in close contact with an Air New Zealand flight attendant one week after she flew from Kerikeri, New Zealand to Auckland. It's not easy to be a PM for a week. She was busy doing the right thing.

David Seymour, leader of ACT, said that if the PM is not found within a week it might be time to loosen the isolation rules. Quite right.

I was with a friend who was on that flight. I had to tell her I was also a close contact. There's a passenger list, but nobody from the Ministry was in touch. It's not the Scarlet Pimpernel, but she would be easy to reach. Nope. Not a dicky bird.

We are a small country. We are mobile, but we don't have to be. All close contacts should be considered. Accept the fact that Omicron will soon be awarded to someone we know.

It is not a death sentence. Most people won't even know that they have it. Let's get on with our lives and let New Zealanders return home, whether they are pregnant or not, young or old. This unjustifiable farce must end.