One of Auckland's managed isolation facilities was put into lockdown on Thursday night, with guests being told someone had tested positive for COVID-19.
Two guests have told Newshub the Novotel Ellerslie hotel in Auckland was put into "lockdown" for a short period and guests were advised via an intercom system that there was a positive case of COVID-19 confirmed in the facility.
During the roughly one to two hour lockdown, guests were asked to stay within their rooms while common areas were cleaned.
A similar routine has been followed in previous instances of cases being confirmed in managed isolation facilities. The individual with the infection is then usually taken to a quarantine facility, which in Auckland is the Jet Park hotel.
Currently, New Zealand's borders are only open to Kiwis and their close families. Anyone entering the country must spend at least 14 days in managed isolation or quarantine. All are meant to be tested on day three and day 12 of their stays.
Managed isolation facilities have been put under the spotlight over the last two weeks after it emerged that two women were let out the Novotel Ellerslie on compassionate grounds without being tested. After driving to Wellington, they tested positive for the illness.
The Prime Minister and Health Minister expressed disappointment that testing hadn't happened as they had been informed it was. As a result, the Government temporarily suspended compassionate leave and has introduced a raft of new actions to tighten up the border measure. The Director-General of Health has stressed anyone leaving a facility must first return a negative test.
New Zealand has 13 active cases of the virus, each of which are imported cases, meaning they were infected overseas rather than through community transmission.
If confirmed by the Ministry of Health, the guest with COVID-19 reported in the Novotel Ellerslie facility on Thursday night will likely be included in the update given typically at about 1pm.
