14 Oct 2021

Covid-19: Women arrested in Blenheim after travelling from Auckland

12:30 pm on 14 October 2021

Two women who travelled from Auckland to the South Island have been arrested in Blenheim and charged with failing to comply with a health order.

Blenheim District Court

Blenheim District Court Photo: RNZ

The pair, aged 48 and 49, are due to appear in Blenheim District Court today.

Both have been tested for Covid-19 and the results are awaited.

Police and the Ministry of Health are investigating how they were able to leave Auckland.

Police staff who interacted with the women were wearing full PPE.

Six officers were initially stood down as a precautionary measure but have since been advised by public health officials that they are not required to isolate.

Anyone crossing the border out of an alert level 3 area is required to have a formal travel exemption and a negative Covid-19 test.

Auckland is in level 3 (step 1) and Northland and parts of Waikato remain in level 3 until at least Monday, as cases continue to spread in the community. The rest of the country is in level 2.