Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: 46 men at South Auckland prison test positive

Forty-six men at the facility have returned positive rapid antigen tests for Covid. Photo / Dean Purcell.

Forty-six prisoners and staff at a south Auckland Corrections Facility have tested positive for Covid-19.

In a statement a spokesperson for Serco, the company that runs the facility, said as of Monday morning, 46 men have returned positive rapid antigen tests for Covid.

This comes after the country recorded 981 new community cases of Covid-19.

Today's community cases are in Northland (21), Auckland (768), Waikato (82), Bay of Plenty (23), Lakes (12), Hawke's Bay (5), MidCentral (5), Taranaki (1), Tairawhiti (6), Wairarapa (12), Wellington (6), Hutt Valley (14), Nelson Marlborough (2), Canterbury (4), South Canterbury (1) and Southern (19), the Ministry of Health said in a statement this afternoon.

Health staff were at Kohuora Auckland South Corrections Facility at Wiri to give prisoners isolating a PCR test.

"Those men who have returned a positive rapid antigen test are held in a quarantine House Block and are cared for by the Kohuora nurses.

"Most symptoms are minor, and no prisoners have required specialist care or hospitalisation."

The spokesperson said up to 80 per cent of the prisoners are vaccinated and there are 771 people at this site with over 350 staff.

The spokeswoman said all Covid-positive prisoners were in single cells, and all staff wear N95 face masks. However, prisoners are not required to wear face coverings but can request to wear one.

As of Monday morning, the Department of Corrections said there were 15 active cases being managed by Corrections. 12 of which were at the facility in Wiri.

As the prisoners are yet to receive PRC test results, they were not included in this total.

Since March 2020, a total of 97 had been managed by Corrections and no one had died.

Since March 2020, Northern Regional Commissioner Lynette Cave said Corrections staff have managed cases within corrections facilities.

"We have been actively planning and preparing for the potential of increased cases in prisons, particularly given the increased number of cases in our communities."

Last Christmas eve, 55 prisoners and 21 staff at Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility were in isolation after a staff member tested positive.

The infected staff member was fully vaccinated - as all prison-based staff in New Zealand are required to be - and last worked at the prison between December 17 and 20.