Sol3 Mio tenor Pene Pati is stuck in locked-down London for the next six weeks, caught out because of New Zealand’s new managed isolation pre-booking rule through no fault of his own.
His experience has led him to tell other Kiwis in a similar situation: “Prepare to fend for yourself because New Zealand won’t care.”
“That’s so hard to say and it’s so hard to hear because the most difficult thing to hear as a New Zealand citizen is that your country turns you away in a time of absolute need,” Pati said.
“If you just haven’t booked, that’s your fault. But, if you’re stuck in an emergency situation, the only thing I can tell you is prepare yourself to be heartbroken.”
The tenor didn’t expect to be returning home so soon. Just last week, he was performing at the Berlin State Opera when Germany announced it was going into lockdown.
With no shows, he had to leave the country and head back to New Zealand. But, while transiting in London on the way back home, he wasn’t allowed to continue because he couldn’t pre-book a place at a managed isolation facility.
“If I just forgot to book my quarantine, I would absolutely concede that it’s absolutely my fault.”
He said the pre-booking rule didn’t account for people in situations like him.
“That’s what the problem is. I can no longer be here, but I can’t be there either. I’m stuck in transit limbo,” he said.
“You cannot prepare or pre-book for this type of situation. It’s not considered life-threatening as well, so they don’t really care what happens.”
Pati added: “I’m not trying to jump the queue … I just want to highlight and shed light on the fact that there’s no contingency here.”
He said he was lucky to have friends in London, but the same couldn’t be said for all Kiwis stuck overseas.
Since Tuesday, the Government has made it compulsory for New Zealanders to pre-book their managed isolation before they get on a plane.
According to a managed isolation spokesperson, there are no vouchers available until Boxing Day, and facilities are operating at capacity.
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