Police say they're "making inquiries" after a man filmed himself deliberately coughing and sneezing on people at a Christchurch supermarket during the lockdown.
The video, seen by 1 NEWS, shows a man wearing a yellow-and-black uniform jacket walking around the Fresh Choice supermarket in Barrington, Christchurch, in a selfie video.
As he walks past people, he coughs and sneezes loudly in their direction, occasionally apologising with a smile on his face.
The video also periodically turns to face other people in the store, including workers and members of the public, to see their reaction.
The video was initially published on the man's public Facebook account but has since been removed.
In a comment, the man offers his "sincere apologies", saying he had been "inspired by many prank pages".
"I'm sorry for this prank that was played, It never should've happened, the alcohol had really taken effect and I have no sensor when I get this messy (sic)," he wrote.
"There is nothing else that I can say but apologize to everybody, and assure you all it will not happen again."
The man has never worked for Graham Hill Roofing, the company brand on his clothing, despite wearing the shirt.
Fresh Choice has acknowledged the incident in a post on its Facebook page saying: "We wish to advise that we have been the victim of a malicious prank by a person who was under the influence of alcohol."
A Countdown spokesperson told 1 NEWS the incident has been reported to the police.
"The police have been very clear that it’s irresponsible and unacceptable behaviour."
The man has now apologised and indicated it was a drunken prank, "which is obviously not funny at all in these challenging times", the spokesperson says.
Supermarket workers are begging for Kiwis to treat them with kindness.
The store has been thoroughly cleaned since the incident and the supermarket "strongly discourages" from doing anything similar.
"We take the safety of our team and customers extremely seriously and like all supermarkets, Fresh Choice Barrington has put a number of extra steps in place over and above the norm to ensure the store is clean and safe for people to shop and work in."
A police spokesperson told 1 NEWS they're aware of the video and the identity of the man in it, and are making inquiries.
"This sort of behavior is abhorrent even without a pandemic, and is quite frankly dangerous in the current environment."
During the level 4 lockdown, anyone who feels unwell is ordered to stay home and away from other people.
The coronavirus spreads through coughing and sneezing, with recent research showing it's possible for someone to spread the virus for several days before they show any symptoms.
Police have been contacted for comment by 1 NEWS.
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