Photo: suppliedNew Green MP Ricardo Menendez March is in managed isolation after ignoring official government advice against travelling overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic. The politician, who grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, returned to New Zealand on February 1 and is now nearing the end of his mandatory stay. The Green Party said the trip was for "serious personal family matters" and he had sought permission before making the trip. However, the trip flies against warnings from the Government's Safe Travel advisory, which says "do not travel" for all overseas destinations. "If indeed we are paying a Member of Parliament to sit in an hotel because they chose to take a trip overseas, that would amount to arrogance in the extreme," said Williams.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 09, 2021 20:48 UTC