Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Bayleys Realty national conference affected by positive Covid test

A thousand people at a Bayleys Realty conference - including those who travelled to the Auckland event from other parts of the country - have been told they are close contacts of a bar worker who later tested positive to Covid-19.

The Bayleys national conference and awards event took place at Spark Arena in downtown Auckland on Friday last week.

Up to 1000 people at a Mitre 10 awards event, including MC and Seven Sharp host Hilary Barry, held at Spark Arena the previous night have also been told they're close contacts after exposure to the same infected bar worker.

A message to the Mitre 10 event attendees said the infected person was part of the bar staff.

All close contacts must immediately self-isolate and contact Healthline about when they need to be tested for Covid-19. Their household contacts must also self-isolate.

Bayleys spokesman Chris Gwin confirmed 1000 people were at the invitation-only conference last Friday.

"A decent chunk were Auckland people but yes there were people from [the rest of the country]. There were some South Islanders."

Comedian Jeremy Corbett is also in self-isolation after telling The Project he was a host at the Bayleys event. He found out just before the television current affairs show began and had to rush home.

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In an email sent to conference attendees by Bayleys, Gwin and chief operating officer Duncan Ross said the Ministry of Health had told them the infected person was at Spark Arena between 10am and 10pm on August 13.

"Spark Arena has therefore been identified as a location of interest in the current Covid-19 outbreak. If you scanned into the event, you will have been alerted to this also.

"All attendees at the Bayleys awards dinner have been identified as present at the Spark Arena during the time of interest. This means that you are considered to be a close contact", they wrote before providing ministry instructions on what people should do next.

More information would be shared when known, they wrote.

"Thank you for your support in keeping yourselves, your families and our communities safe."