Covid 19 coronavirus: deportee who escaped from quarantine hotel was on the loose for eight hours

A man who used blankets to escape from an Auckland quarantine hotel spent eight hours on the loose visiting different parts of the city.

The deportee escaped from the Ramada hotel on Federal St late Sunday night and was caught on CCTV in Aotea Square at 1 a.m. yesterday, the chief of managed isolation, Air Commodore Darryn said today. Webb.

“The man has been seen by CCTV walking in parts of Auckland, from the city center to Newmarket, Epsom, Onehunga and Mt Albert before returning to the facility on Federal St.”

A ladder made of sheets, used to climb four floors from a hotel window, was discovered yesterday at 8:20 am by security at the scene. She reached the main entrance of the hotel about four minutes later.

“Safety improvements will be made at the facility and will include the installation of additional CCTV cameras as well as additional lighting at the likely point of the alleged man-out,” Webb said.

Early indications suggested the man broke the security latch on the window to force his way out.

The man, who had been deported from Australia earlier this month, was quickly detained by the police.

Police reviewed a series of CCTVs, interviewed the man, conducted an examination of the scene and spoke to staff.

However, the investigation was ongoing and there were still some gaps as to where he went during his overnight excursion.

The man was deported from Australia on September 16 and tested negative on day three and day 12 of his stay. He has not been charged at this stage.

Public Health considered that the risk of Covid-19 for the public is low.

“While this type of incident is extremely frustrating, it is rare,” Webb said.

Webb said no one would be tolerated voluntarily leaving the facility and that appropriate action would be taken.

Of the 55,000 people who had been through isolation and managed quarantine, only 13 had escaped in nine different incidents.