The man who tested positive for COVID-19 after escaping isolation to go to a supermarket is questioning the evidence around his diagnosis and escape.
The 32-year-old briefly escaped from Auckland's Stamford Plaza managed isolation facility on Tuesday through a gap in the fencing.
The man visited the Countdown supermarket on Victoria St West and purchased items at a self-service checkout during his 70 minutes of freedom, although authorities are yet to determine what he did for the rest of the time.
He was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday.
The man talked to NZME on Thursday and said he was "totally fine" but "very stressed" about the situation.
He is questioning the version of events which was released by the Ministry of Health and police.
The man says he had been given "no evidence" of his positive test result and his reasons for leaving managed isolation were "different from the reasons" given by officials.
However, he refused to say why he decided to escape the isolation facility.
"I don't know what's going on, I am pretty confused... The police know the facts, I have told them everything, I am complying with them."
But despite saying he has no evidence of his test result, he said people who had the virus were "human".
"We are also people," he said.
The man's escape caused anger among New Zealanders who said he was putting other people's lives at risk.
Health Minister Chris Hipkins also blasted the "acts of selfishness" from the man, and another woman who absconded from Auckland's Pullman Hotel managed isolation facility on Saturday night.
"It is completely unacceptable that we have now had two people let everybody else down by breaking the rules, leaving facilities and putting New Zealanders at risk. These are acts of selfishness that we intend to use the full weight of the law to stop."
The man is expected to be charged under section 26(1) of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020. He could face six months imprisonment or a $4000 fine.
He has now been transferred to the Jet Park quarantine facility in Auckland.
