COVID-19: Man arrested at Auckland managed isolation facility after alleged 'abusive incident'

A person in an Auckland managed isolation facility was arrested after he allegedly became abusive towards staff at the hotel.

The 21-year-old man was in managed isolation at a hotel in Mangere when the incident occurred on Monday and police were called, Auckland Police Superintendent Steve Kehoe says.

"He was taken to the Counties Manukau Police Custody Unit and has been charged with Speaks Threateningly. He was due to appear in Manukau District Court on Tuesday, July 7," he says.

"Appropriate safety procedures have been put in place and every precaution is being taken."

Minister-in-charge of managed isolation and quarantine, Megan Woods, first mentioned the incident during a press conference on Thursday.

She was answering a question about the number of people who had absconded from facilities when she mentioned "a further incident" on Monday that resulted in police being contacted.

She added it wasn't someone's attempt to escape a facility and gave no further details.

A spokesperson for New Zealand's COVID-19 managed isolation facilities directed all Newshub's queries to police.