The man accused of absconding from a managed isolation facility to visit a central Auckland supermarket has appeared in court on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old, who returned a positive test result for COVID-19 the day after his escape, has been remanded on bail and is due to reappear in Auckland District Court on August 25.
He has been charged under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act and faces a maximum penalty of six months behind bars or a $4000 fine. He was summoned to court on July 15.
Newshub understands the man still has name suppression.
The man arrived in Auckland from India on July 3 and had been completing his mandatory 14 days in managed isolation at Auckland's Stamford Plaza Hotel. On Tuesday, July 7, the man allegedly escaped the facility through a gap in the fencing. It's claimed he went on a 70-minute excursion, during which he visited the Countdown supermarket on Victoria Street West and purchased items using a self-service checkout. He was transferred to Auckland's quarantine facility after he tested positive for the virus the following morning.
Those who had shopped at the supermarket during and following the man's visit were urged to get tested and self-isolate while awaiting their results.
Newshub's national correspondent Patrick Gower, who had shopped at the supermarket early the following morning, went into self-isolation as a precaution.
In an interview with NZME on July 9, the man said he was "confused".
"The police know the facts, I have told them everything, I am complying with them," he told the outlet.
He claimed he had no evidence of his positive test result, but reiterated that people with the virus are still "human".
"We are also people," he said.
