Covid: New Zealand quarantine hotel worker sacked after ‘inappropriate encounter’

An employee at a quarantine hotel in New Zealand has been sacked after what officials described as an inappropriate encounter with a person who should have been isolating.

Officials say the pair shared notes, including one written on a facemask, before spending 20 minutes in a room together.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said it was "unacceptable".

People returning to New Zealand have to spend at least 14 days in isolation.

The country has been hailed as one of the world's leaders in containing the virus. It has recorded 25 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

Earlier this week, it reported its first case of Covid-19 outside of quarantine facilities in more than two months.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Mr Hipkins said he had been informed of the incident at the hotel in Auckland shortly after it happened earlier this month and had called for a "thorough investigation".

"I didn't enquire specifically into the nature of the encounter, but the fact it was a 20-minute encounter, it was long enough for me to be unacceptable," he said.

He added that the staff member had brought a bottle of wine to the room.

"We are dealing with human beings... I cannot control the actions of every individual, but we absolutely make it clear what the rules are," he said.

The minister added that he was confident it was a "one-off, isolated incident".

Brigadier Jim Bliss, the head of managed isolation and quarantine, said the employee had been sent home and told to self-isolate following the incident, and was later fired. The returning traveller was given a formal written warning by police, reports say.

Both returned negative Covid-19 tests before and after the incident.

Brig Bliss said the actions of the two people - who have not been publicly named - were "incredibly irresponsible and extremely disappointing".