A south west Victorian woman who twice tested negative to coronavirus has spent nearly three weeks in quarantine after travelling to New Zealand to be with her dying father.
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Michelle Manson, of Warrnambool, flew to New Zealand to visit her sick father and their family on December 13 last year.
But on the morning she left Australia, Ms Manson's father tragically died and she was left quarantining in Auckland, organising her father's funeral from a hotel room and spending Christmas alone.
She helped her family pick out a coffin online and attended an online viewing of her father ahead of his cremation.
Mr Manson was released from hotel quarantine on December 27, after twice testing negative to coronavirus, and drove 10 hours to grieve with her family.
She flew home on a packed plane of 160 passengers on January 17 and was not required to quarantine in Australia.
But on Monday, the federal government suspended travel arrangements with New Zealand for at least 72 hours after a woman tested positive to a more transmissible strain of the virus upon leaving hotel quarantine in New Zealand.
Ms Manson said she'd been back in Australia for eight days when Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement late Monday afternoon.
She said she was told to isolate immediately and get tested.
"But there was nothing open Monday evening for a test and Tuesday was a public holiday," Ms Manson said.
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She said she waited until Wednesday morning to be tested at Warrnambool's Timor Street clinic and was told she could wait up to three days for her results.
"I was meant to return to work on Wednesday," Ms Manson said, adding that fortunately her boss was very understanding.
The self-isolation requirements were relevant to anyone who arrived in Australia from New Zealand on or since January 14.
Ms Manson said it was frustrating the federal government announced the changes so late on Monday, and the day before a public holiday.
"There's going to be thousands that fly in to Australia (that were in) New Zealand since January 14," she said.
"Some of my flights were connecting to Adelaide and Perth and I'm pretty sure there were two flights a day, every second day, from New Zealand.
"If they were all full like my plane, there's at least 2000 people flown into Melbourne alone."
Ms Manson, who moved to Australia from New Zealand with her family 13-years-ago, received another negative test result to the virus on Thursday.
She said she returned to work immediately.