A daily wrap of all the main developments in the Covid-19 Delta outbreak as New Zealand is plunged into lockdown for the fifth time. Video / NZ Herald / Getty
Northland police are being kept busy warning and "educating" lockdown rulebreakers across the region, despite repeated messages to stay at home unless essential.
Police Sergeant Ryan Gray said by and large most people adhered to level 4 restrictions. However, officers had issued several on-the-spot fines to people failing to comply with lockdown rules.
Gray said an infringement fine was given to a man from Auckland who travelled to Kerikeri prior to the lockdown.
Police had previously told him he had 48 hours to return to home, and had also warned him for breaching level 4 restrictions.
The man later learned he needed to return to Auckland, where he was an essential worker. As a result he left his bubble, incurring an infringement fine from Northland police.
"We're getting plenty of jobs like that," Gray said.
The public hadn't held back from reporting potential Covid breaches. Gray said in some cases their concerns had proved correct and in others, it had turned out that people had stuck to the rules after all.
In one case, a Whangārei family had joint household bubbles in order to take care of a sick child.
But the comings and goings at the address had attracted the attention of their neighbours.
Gray said police were pleased the public were pro-active in looking out for their communities.
"There's no harm in people reporting potential Covid breaches to us as we'll look into those things."
Neighbours of a known close contact, who had been on a flight between Auckland and Wellington deemed a location of interest, had contacted police concerned that a visitor had been at the property.
Gray said the visitor lived "off the grid" – no internet, no media - and was unaware that the person was a close contact.
They were attempting to buy a plant from the address, which was a nursery.
When they arrived, the person at the address immediately informed them of the situation and told them to leave, Gray said, without breaking their isolation or putting anyone at risk.
He said there had been no arrests since the weekend that were related to Covid breaches.
Anyone concerned about suspicious behaviour, criminal activity or Covid breaches can contact police via 105.
