"I was an idiot and I understand that people want me to." The New Zealand Minister of Health admitted on Tuesday that he had violated the rules of general confinement by going as a family to the beach. An "idiotic" getaway that he regretted.
David Clark said he had resigned after acknowledging a family trip to the beach 20 kilometers from his home, while confinement has been imposed across the country for two weeks to stem the new coronavirus.
He admitted that it was a violation of the confinement rules which require staying close to his home, even though his function requires exemplarity.
"When we ask New Zealanders for historic sacrifices, I failed them," he said in a statement. "I was an idiot and I understand that people want me to. "
"What he did was wrong"
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that under normal circumstances, she would have sacked David Clark. But she simply decided to remove him from his role as finance assistant and demote him to the hierarchy of members of his government. "What he did was wrong, and he has no excuses," she said.
“But at the moment, my priority is our collective fight against the Covid-19. We cannot afford to destabilize the health sector or our politics. For that reason, and for that reason alone, Dr. Clark will be kept in office, "she said.
New Zealand Health Minister David Clark has been demoted after going on a beach trip and breaking the rules of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. https://t.co/eqY5XWYuAD
- CNN International (@cnni) April 7, 2020On Sunday, the head of Scottish health services, Catherine Calderwood, resigned for violating her own recommendation to stay at home to prevent the virus from spreading. She admitted to having visited her second home twice.
