Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says although he's disappointed the COVID-19 community case broke the advice to self isolate, we must not blame and shame.
Auckland is back in COVID-19 alert level 3 and the rest of New Zealand level 2 after an older sibling of a Papatoetoe High School student tested positive.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the man was tested for COVID-19 on Friday and returned a positive test on Saturday.
"He developed symptoms of general weakness and fever on Tuesday, February 23, and a loss of taste and smell the following day," Dr Bloomfield said in a press conference Friday.
The man went on to attend Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) Hunter Plaza's City Fitness gym on Friday after he got the test.
Phil Goff says it's really disappointing to hear that he had disregarded the Ministry of Health's advice to self-isolate, but we shouldn't discriminate.
"It is really disappointing and it is a concern but we don't get anywhere by blaming and shaming people - that simply means that people who get the symptoms won't go and get tested, won't tell anybody, and that makes the situation far worse."
"But what is really really important is for us to succeed in defeating this virus, everybody's going to play their role. Not 95 percent of us, but everybody.
"So we've got to do this by encouragement, we've got to do it by education, we've got to do it by family and peer pressure on people.
"Please do the right thing. Don't put others at risk, don't put yourself or your family at risk."
