Residents of an Auckland city apartment building linked to the new case of community transmission had reportedly mingled with people staying in a nearby managed isolation hotel, although health officials refute the claims.
At 1pm on Thursday, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced a woman linked to the Vincent Residences apartments had tested positive for COVID-19.
The case was different from other recent community cases as the woman, in her 20s, has no connection to the border, nor to a managed isolation or quarantine (MIQ) facility.
However the Vincent Residences is located right next door to MIQ facility the Grand Millenium.
Stuff has since revealed residents of the Grand Millennium were evacuated on Monday night due to a fire alarm.
There were reportedly no barriers at the time separating members of the public from the residents, who were undergoing two weeks in isolation to ensure they don't bring COVID-19 into the country.
Stuff reported several-hundred people were on the footpath mingling, including people from the Vincent Residences.
Taituha Netana-Patrick, a resident of the apartment block, said he saw the two groups together and believed the risk of transmission would be high due to the shared facilities including an elevator.
Netana-Patrick said he had not contacted by health officials since the incident, or warned to isolate and get tested as a precaution.
“I'm a bit frightened," he told Stuff.
However, the head of managed isolation and quarantine in New Zealand, Air Commodore Darryn Webb, said he does not believe the community transmission came from the event.
"We are confident the integrity of the managed isolation facility was not compromised and that claims those in managed isolation freely 'mixed and mingled' with members of the public is not accurate," he said.
"MIQ staff and hotel security worked in conjunction with NZ Police to ensure all guests evacuated the premises safely and were contained in the identified assembly areas outside the hotel."
He said Defence Force staff assisted hotel security and MIQ staff to cordon all hotel guests into specified assembly areas and ensure they were social distancing and they were wearing face masks. They were then monitored and contained, according to Air Commodore Webb.
"All managed isolation and quarantine facilities operate in a [Alert] Level 4 environment. In evacuation situations where guests need to come outside strict infection prevention controls, developed by the Ministry of Health, are followed to manage the risks of spreading COVID-19."
The woman who tested positive had her positive result come back on Thursday morning, leading Hipkins and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield to hold an impromptu press conference from Parliament.
They confirmed the woman has since been moved to Auckland's quarantine facility the Jet Park Hotel.
Anyone who recently visited the woman's workplace A-Z Collection on High Street, or any residents and visitors of the Vincent Residences from November 7-12, are asked to get a COVID-19 test and isolate until the result comes through.
