Covid-19 travel exemption finally granted to expat to visit dying mother in South Australia

An expat was initially denied an exemption to fly interstate and see his terminally ill mother. Now authorities have backflipped on the decision.

An Adelaide man has been granted an exemption to enter the state and be with his dying mother after authorities backflipped on a decision many had called “heartless”.

Daniel Cioffi, 40, flew to Brisbane from Spain last month to be with his mother Emanuela, 66, after she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer.

Mr Cioffi — who lives in Majorca with his pregnant wife Yolanda and young daughter India — applied for an exemption to SA Health to be with the mother-of-four who is currently being treated in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, but was knocked back three times.

SA chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier on Wednesday said he was denied because Emanuela’s condition was not considered an “end of life” situation at the time.

Daniel Cioffi has been granted an exemption by SA Health to leave hotel quarantine in Brisbane and fly to Adelaide to visit his mother in the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Picture: Supplied

A Change.org petition was launched by Mr Cioffi’s younger brother Christian after his initial exemption was denied. It has now reached more than 32,000 signatures.

According to Christian Cioffi, his brother had previously returned three negative Covid-19 tests and had received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccination.

He said the Queensland government approved the move, and Angel Flight had offered to fly Mr Cioffi to Adelaide as a sole passenger on a chartered flight.

“My brother is desperate to spend time with mum as he knows her, and she him,” Christian Cioffi wrote on the page.

“He is desperate to spend time with his mum while he still can.”

The grandmother of three, pictured with her granddaughter India, has an aggressive brain tumour. Picture: Supplied

Professor Spurrier announced on Wednesday that Mr Cioffi was granted an exemption under compassionate grounds to travel to the state. He is due to land later on Wednesday afternoon.

She said the most recent advice SA Health had received was that it was possible to organise a structured visit in a “sterile corridor” of the hospital where the man will need to wear full PPE.

She also defended the exemptions process, saying she was “very confident” in it.

Professor Spurrier explained steps needed to be taken to allow people needing to quarantine to visit such a vulnerable setting to protect the other patients, hospital staff and broader community.

She also said Mr Cioffi came from a country that had a “large number” of Covid-19 cases reported daily and the AHPPC advice was clear that overseas travellers needed to isolate in the state they arrived.

“We go to a lot of detail, we get advice from clinicians,” Professor Spurrier said.

“We have to use full PPE. We have to do it within a sterile corridor and it’s not a minor undertaking. It’s quite serious.

“I feel deeply for this family … It is really tragic for this family at the moment and I’m thinking about them.”

Emanuela Cioffi, centre, with her family, from left: son Nicholas, daughter Michelle, son Christian, son Daniel, Michelle’s husband Steve, Daniel’s wife Yolanda, Christian’s partner Jess. Picture: Supplied

A Facebook page called ‘Bring Daniel Cioffi Home’ was today filled with uplifting comments about the “great news”.

“I am over the moon to have heard this news. This is absolutely beautiful,” one person wrote.

“So very happy to hear this,” another said.

“About bloody time! What a disgusting mess this has been,” a third posted.

Originally published as Covid-19 travel exemption finally granted to expat to visit dying mother in South Australia