Covid 19 coronavirus: Quarantine breaches revealed

Seven breaches were people who escaped isolation, including four people who fled the Rydges Hotel in Auckland on 10 May. Photo / RNZ

By Ben Strang, of RNZ

Official figures show 32 people breached Covid-19 isolation rules during a 58-day period between April and June.

Nobody was charged and all were dealt with via warnings and education.

The breaches happened between April 17 and June 14, for either absconding, failing to return, or trying to flee the managed isolation facilities.

Half of the breaches were people who failed to return or were late to return after being granted an exemption to attend a funeral or tangi.

Seven people escaped isolation, including four who fled Rydges Hotel in Auckland on May 10 - which does not appear to have been reported publicly.

The four people were later found at a relative's house.

After weighing up the health risks, no charges were laid but those involved were warned and educated.

The Ministry of Health ran mobile testing of people they had been in contact with while away from isolation.

In a briefing to the Police Minister on June 22, obtained under the Official Information Act, it said the quarantine and managed isolation operation, dubbed Operation Mercy, was run by the ministry and Defence Force, not police.

But police did help track down and return people to isolation when asked to.

The report said "all of the cases were resolved successfully by the agencies involved".