The Auckland woman at the centre of the country's latest COVID-19 scare says allegations her boss asked her to work while sick are false, and only came about because health officials failed to provide her with a translator.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, issued a statement in Mandarin that was translated to English before being passed on to Newshub by a lawyer representing her employer A-Z Collections.
The statement rubbishes COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins' remarks to media on Thursday, which suggested she had called in sick to her shop assistant job at A-Z Collections only to be convinced to come in by her employer.
The woman explains she made the decision to go to work herself, as the mild sore throat she'd felt earlier in the week had subsided, and she'd only got tested for coronavirus as a precaution after speaking to her GP.
"I wore a mask just to be safe. My employer has instructed us to wear a mask whenever possible. It is not unusual for us to wear masks at work, so my manager, co-workers, and customers thought nothing of it," she wrote.
"I did not think there was any chance that I had coronavirus. I did not tell my boss or manager of the above and did not request leave at any time. I did not think it was a big deal."
However, it soon became a big deal after her positive test result came back the following day. With no known links to the border or managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) facilities, the Ministry of Health called an impromptu press conference and notified the country of her case.
The woman says she was "shocked and upset", but made sure to contact her close contacts as soon as possible. She also says she cooperated fully with the Government to take quarantine measures.
However when it came time for health officials to interview her about her previous whereabouts, they failed to provide her with a Mandarin-English translator. It was this that led to Hipkins' claims she'd spoken to her boss about whether or not to go into work, she said.
"Due the language barrier (sic)... the staff made many errors in recording my previous whereabouts, actions, and contacts. Many of these errors made it onto the news and were reported as fact," she wrote.
"It was reported in the news that I was still asked to go to work by my boss after I became sick - this is false, and I was very upset to hear this.
"I contacted the Government many times begging them to correct the information, because I knew the hate and attacks myself and my boss and our families would receive. They said they would contact me again to review this information but at that point it was too late.
"My friends and I have been attacked heavily by cyberbullies online as a result of the incorrect reports in the news. We have received many racist and hurtful comments."
Health officials have now provided her with a Mandarin language translator, and the woman says she hopes this will lead to a restoration of the truth.
While the case was a major case for concern, genome sequencing carried out overnight showed the woman shared identical genomic link to a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) worker who tested positive for coronavirus last week.
This means it's highly likely she contracted the disease from the worker, known as Case A, who was working at Auckland quarantine facility the Jet Park Hotel when he was infected.
It's not yet known how the woman, now known as Case D, would have caught the disease from Case A, but health officials are investigating.
The case's full statement
I am the employee that tested positive for Coronavirus on the 12th of November.
Since this was reported in the news yesterday, myself, my boss and manager, and our friends and families, have received incredibly hurtful cyberbullying comments online. This is a result of false information that has been reported.
On the evening of the 9th I had a sore throat, but I did not think much of it. I contacted my GP on the 10th over the phone as I thought I may have a cold. I did not think I met the symptoms of Coronavirus but my GP recommended that I get a test just to be sure.
On the 11th my sore throat had gone and I did not feel any discomfort, so I went to work. I wore a mask just to be safe. My employer has instructed us to wear a mask whenever possible. It is not unusual for us to wear masks at work, so my manager, co-workers, and customers thought nothing of it. I did not think there was any chance that I had Coronavirus.
I did not tell my boss or manager of the above and did not request leave at any time. I did not think it was a big deal.
On the morning of the 12th I learned I tested positive and was very shocked and upset. Despite this, I contacted my close contacts as soon as possible and cooperated with the government to take quarantine measures. During this time, the government arranged for staff to interview me and trace my previous whereabouts, actions and contacts. I fully cooperated with them.
Due the language barrier (my first language is Mandarin, this statement will be translated to English), the staff made many errors in recording my previous whereabouts, actions, and contacts. Many of these errors made it onto the news and were reported as fact.
It was reported in the news that I was still asked to go to work by my boss after I became sick – this is false, and I was very upset to hear this. I contacted the government many times begging them to correct the information, because I knew the hate and attacks myself and my boss and our families would receive.
They said they would contact me again to review this information but at that point it was too late. My friends and I have been attacked heavily by cyber bullies online as a result of the incorrect reports in the news. We have received many racist and hurtful comments.
Today, the 13th of November, after having to ask many times, the government have finally arranged a Chinese translation service for me to communicate with the tracing team. Once they speak to me again, without the language barrier, I hope that they can restore the truth and the media can report the true story.
For now, my hope is that everyone can focus on the prevention and control of the epidemic and how to find potential asymptomatic infections, instead of continuing to promote online violence and racial discrimination, causing real harm to victims.
Employee of High Street Store Diagnosed with COVID-19 on 12 November 2020
