Thirteen police officers have been stood down and part of Auckland's Waitākere police station is closed for deep cleaning after a woman who had been arrested later tested positive for Covid-19.
The District Custody Unit based at the station is closed after a woman who was processed through the cells on September 23 subsequently tested positive for Covid-19, Inspector Jason Edwards said in a statement.
Police were notified of the positive case by Corrections on Sunday afternoon.
The woman was asymptomatic when she was arrested for a breach of bail and burglary-related offences and had undergone a health screening test before being brought into the unit, Edwards said.
"We are now working closely with Ministry of Health and our partners on this matter and have reviewed CCTV footage to check who has had contact with the woman. Due to this we now have 10 authorised officers who have been stood down to be tested and self-isolate for 14 days," he said.
The three officers who handled the initial arrest and brought the woman into the custody unit are also being tested and are self-isolating.
A number of results have already been returned, all of which are negative.
"Police are taking every precaution which includes having a deep clean of the custody unit carried out today, Edwards said.
He said not all of the staff involved in the woman's arrest and management in the unit had been wearing full PPE and "we will be addressing this with them," Edwards said.
The custody unit is expected to reopen later today. In the meantime, all arrests requiring a person to be detained will be taken to the Auckland City District Custody Unit based at Mt Eden.
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