Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Auckland woman's shopping trip in Northland outed by checkpoint police

There are 11 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today - two of which remain unlinked to the outbreak. Video / NZ Herald

A woman who told officers she needed to pass through a Northland checkpoint to feed stock was caught by police with shopping instead.

She was one of two people issued an infringement notice for breaching Covid-19 rules around essential travel at the Northland-Auckland border on Thursday.

Police stationed at the State Highway 1 checkpoint stopped the woman as she attempted to return to Auckland but noticed something was amiss.

The woman had initially told officers she needed to enter Northland to feed stock, a police spokesman said.

"As she travelled through the checkpoint, officers spotted shopping in her vehicle, which she admitted to when questioned."

Another driver questioned at the same checkpoint on Thursday ignored police instructions to return to Auckland and attempted to drive through the border into Northland.

It was revealed they wanted to return home to Northland after having spent the past three weeks at a friend's house in Auckland.

Police inspect a driver's reason for travel at a checkpoint on State Highway 1, near the Mangawhai Tomarata intersection. Photo / Michael Cunningham

"After being advised this wasn't allowed and being directed to turnaround, the driver ignored police and continued to drive north," the spokesman said.

Officers from the checkpoint followed the vehicle as they signalled for the driver to pull over.

However, the driver eventually got the message, turned around and returned via the checkpoint.

"The driver will be receiving an infringement notice."

Police had their hands full with a third motorist who refused to pull over at the SH1 checkpoint and fled north on Thursday afternoon.

Officers successfully located the driver later that evening and charges were likely, the spokesman said.

Police were currently in the process of establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

"While overall compliance levels remain extremely high, police are continuing to see a few incidents of people deliberately breaching the restrictions at the checkpoints."

"The actions of these individuals are extremely disappointing, while also posing a risk to the wider community."

Police warned they continued to have a low tolerance for anyone "deliberately" ignoring the rules. Evident in the 40 vehicles turned around at Northland's five police checkpoints on Thursday.

It was too soon for police to release data about how many vehicles linked to essential workers were turned around overnight on Wednesday.

But they confirmed vehicles, including heavy freight trucks, had been turned around overnight at various checkpoints and on Friday for failing to comply with the new requirement that came into effect at 11.59pm on Wednesday.

All permitted workers must provide evidence of a Covid-19 test taken in the last seven days in order to pass through alert level boundaries.

"Some drivers did not have any evidence of having had a Covid-19 test in the past seven days, while a few drivers were turned away after providing records of tests they'd had from more than seven days ago," police said.

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Other vehicles were turned away because passengers lacked any proof of a recent Covid test.

Evidence of a test can include a text message – automatically generated after a test – or paper confirmation issued by testing centres.

"If the worker has had a medical examination instead of a test, they must have an electronic or paper copy of that medical certificate to show police at the checkpoint."

Permitted workers must also carry evidence of their reason for travel and photo identification.