New Zealand authorities said on Thursday that a man who tested positive for COVID-19 could be fined or jailed after escaping from a quarantine hotel to return home.
Police dressed in full protective gear arrested the man about six miles from the hotel in the northern city of Auckland, where New Zealand is currently facing an outbreak of the delta variant, according to The Associated Press.
Authorities said the man had been on the run about 12 hours before he was arrested and The Guardian reported that he appeared virtually in Auckland district court before being returned to a managed quarantine center.
The person was charged with breaching the New Zealand coronavirus health order. Under a new law passed last year, he could face a fine or up to six months in prison if convicted, according to the AP.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said it was not immediately known how the man escaped, although security images in the area showed a man hiding in the bushes away from security guards.
Hipkins told the New Zealand Herald that the quarantine facilities are well managed and protected, adding:I’m very concerned that someone has distinguished it. ”
Auckland is currently in a level four blockade, the highest in the country, to combat a recent outbreak of the delta variant.
Last month, Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern announced a nationwide shutdown after a single coronavirus infection was reported in Auckland.
Shortly after the closure, authorities recorded several additional cases of coronavirus, including an individual who had worked four shifts at Auckland City Hospital while they were infectious.
Days later, the New Zealand government said it would extend the closure across the country until the end of August, ordering residents to leave their homes just to buy supermarkets and other essential activities.