Meet Simone Steers, the woman mourning her sister alone in Howard Springs
Repeatedly denied an exemption by NT authorities, a Melbourne woman whose sister recently died in a horrific Top End car crash has spent nearly two weeks totally alone in Howard Springs. READ HER HEARTBREAKING STORY.
Northern Territory
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SIMONE Steers remembers her only sister Sally as “really happy and always willing to help people”.
But for almost two weeks, Simone has had to mourn her beloved sister’s loss totally alone, in a donga at the Howard Springs quarantine facility.
Sally was tragically killed in a three-vehicle crash at Humpty Doo on May 29.
Despite desperate pleas, health officials from the NT government have refused to shorten her quarantine stay on compassionate grounds to be with her family.
However, Simone was offered an exemption to attend the funeral in full PPE with a guard, before being returned to Howard Springs.
She said the only help she’d received since her arrival on June 2 had been one mental health visit from a nurse and a prescription from a GP she’d never met for sleeping tablets.
“I’m angry, I’m so angry,” Simone said.
“It took me three days of asking before I was even able to talk to a mental health professional,” she said.
“My grieving process will have to start again once I get out of here. They’re just prolonging everything for me.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
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Ms Steers, who lives in Melbourne, said she hadn’t visited an exposure site before flying to Darwin.
She said her 58-year-old sister Sally was a Territory resident for three decades before her death.
“She was always really happy and always willing to help people with whatever they needed.
“She was my only sister.”
Sally’s funeral has been postponed until after Simone’s release on Tuesday, despite her husband begging authorities from afar to cut her stay short on compassionate grounds.
“They haven’t given a reason, they’ve just declined a request,” she said.
“Why even have a compassionate exemption process if they’re not even going to consider it?”
Simone said the offer to attend the funeral on the condition she return was too heartbreaking to contemplate.
“How awful would that be? To be with your family and not be able to touch them, and have to be in full PPE with a guard,” she said.
The funeral will be held in Humpty Doo on Thursday.
An NT Health spokeswoman said a chief health officer exemption was provided to Simone on compassionate grounds before she left Victoria.
“As part of this exemption they are required to travel in an approved Covid taxi, wear full PPE and have a support person with them,” the spokeswoman said.
“They are also required to return to quarantine to complete the required 14-day period.”
The spokeswoman said Simone had daily wellbeing checks and staff at Howard Springs had “worked to resolve her requests”.
“NT Health staff will continue to support to Ms Steers during her quarantine period.”
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