The man who allegedly escaped an Auckland quarantine facility wandered the city for more than eight hours and walked as far as Onehunga.
An investigation into his escape is on-going but what has been established is the man was on foot in Aotea Square at 1am on Monday. It's thought he escaped the hotel on Federal Street shortly after midnight - he did not return until 8:24am.
Air Commodore Darryn Webb, the head of managed isolation and quarantine says the situation is "extremely frustrating" but rare.
"There have been more than 55,000 people through managed isolation and quarantine and only nine absconding incidents (involving 13 people) absconding from managed isolation," he told Newshub.
The alleged absconder was caught on CCTV walking from the CBD to Newmarket, Mount Albert and Onehunga.
His extensive night time wandering has been classed as "low public health risk" as he has tested negative for COVID-19 twice.
Exactly how the man, a deportee from Australia, managed to escape the facility is yet to be confirmed. Early indications are that he broke the security latch on his window - and a statement from MBIE says he could have tied "a number" of bed sheets together, then climbed down the makeshift rope from his fourth storey room.
"On-site security staff at the managed isolation facility at the Ramada Federal Street, located a number of sheets tied together hanging from a window of a fourth-floor room at the rear of the building," said the statement.
Police have reviewed CCTV footage, interviewed the man, conducted a scene examination at the facility and spoken with its staff. The man has not yet been charged.
