Police were called to a Pak'nSave supermarket this afternoon. Photo / File
A man has been arrested after police were told he was following a woman around a supermarket and deliberately coughing and sneezing on her.
Police were called to Royal Oak Pak'nSave, in Auckland, about 3pm, Acting Inspector Mark Clayton, of Auckland, said.
"A man was reported to be following a woman around the supermarket, deliberately and repeatedly coughing and sneezing on her, until security intervened.
"Police were contacted and a 30-year-old man has been arrested."
There was no suggestion the man and woman knew each other.
The man didn't appear to have any symptoms for Covid-19, but would be tested to rule this out, Clayton said. Inquiries were continuing, he said.
A spokeswoman for Pak'nSave owner Foodstuffs declined to comment on the alleged incident.
"As the matter is now with the police, we have nothing to add."
This month Christchurch man Raymond Coombs pleaded guilty in court to offensive behaviour after uploading a video on Facebook which showed him pretending to cough on shoppers at Fresh Choice supermarket in Barrington.
He later took down the video and apologised, claiming he had had too much to drink and shot the footage after watching prank videos on YouTube.
The 38-year-old was called an "idiot" by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and told by
Judge Jane McMeeken that he owed the country an apology for risking an extension of the level 4 lockdown.
"This is an unprecedented time in New Zealand's history … many people are suffering," McMeeken said. "Your behaviour would've added to that suffering."
Coombs was bailed but later jailed after breaching his bailed conditions. He will be sentenced on May 19.
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.