Covid 19 Delta outbreak: Border breach - Auckland woman in Wellington confirmed as sex worker

An Auckland woman who escaped to Wellington earlier this month has been confirmed as a sex worker.

This comes as another woman who allegedly falsified documents to travel from Auckland to Northland then tested positive for Covid-19 on her return is also thought to be a sex worker.

Dame Catherine Healy of the NZ Prostitutes' Collective told the Herald the 24-year-old woman, who has name suppression, is "widely known to be a sex worker".

"She hasn't approached NZPC for assistance, not to my knowledge, but the woman is widely known to be a sex worker," Healy said.

New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective national co-ordinator Dame Catherine Healy.

The woman breached alert level restrictions by travelling to Wellington with a 41-year-old man. Both have name suppressions and are due to appear in Court again tomorrow.

Healey said sex workers have had it tough during lockdown, but a majority of them continued to follow the rules.

The pair have been charged with failing to comply with a Covid-19 order, which holds a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine of $4000.

Both are also charged with failing to assist police in exercising their search powers and the man is charged with knowingly using a forged document.

That charge holds a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.

Healey said she was aware of speculations that other woman who went to Northland was also a sex worker, but did not have any further details.

She tested positive for Covid-19 when she came back to Auckland, which resulted in the Northland region being brought from alert level 2 to level 3.

The woman allegedly got into Auckland on falsified documents, and has not been forthcoming with information about her travel or movements in the region.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the lack of co-operation from the woman had been "extraordinarily frustrating".

Police are now searching for another woman she is believed to have been travelling with, who is thought to also have Covid-19.