Covid confusion puts court into lockdown

A managed isolation worker who sparked a Covid lockdown at Hamilton District Court has tested negative.

No-one was allowed in or out of the court for about two hours after the worker, reported to have had symptoms, visited the court yesterday morning.

However, yesterday afternoon, the Ministry of Health confirmed that person had tested negative for Covid-19.

‘‘The precautionary action to lockdown the court was taken by local agencies after some initial reports that the person had symptoms consistent with Covid19,’’ the ministry said.

A woman let out after the courthouse lockdown said those inside were told they were casual contacts of an unconfirmed Covid case. ‘‘Someone with symptoms who works at an isolation facility,’’ the woman, who only wanted to be known as Kate, said.

However, because they were casual contacts, they did not need to quarantine at home.

The court was closed for the rest of the day to be sanitised in line with Ministry of Health guidance, Ministry of Justice acting deputy secretary for corporate and digital services, Maeve Neilson, said. Everyone who was in the courthouse at the time was allowed to leave after supplying contact tracing information.

The lockdown is understood to have happened around 9.30am, with people arriving after that time being told no-one was allowed ‘‘in or out’’.

However, court staff started to let people out of the building about 11.20am.

At least 30 people were seen leaving and those who spoke to media said they did not have to get a Covid test or isolate further.

Willy Grimes, who was let out about 11.30am, had been told more than 50 people had been shut inside. Some were getting quite agitated, although they knew it was not the security guards’ fault, Grimes said.

One woman did not have much left in her baby’s bottle and had been getting worried, he said.

Another woman waiting outside during the lockdown said she was the first person turned away, about 9.20am. Her son had gone in for a 9.30am matter but by the time she parked the car she was told ‘‘we are in lockdown and you can’t come in’’.

At that stage, security staffers did not know why, she said. Her son then had to stay inside the building, leaving her waiting outside to see what would happen. She eventually went home.

Neilson urged those who were not feeling well to stay away from the courthouse. She also encouraged those who did attend to scan the Covid-19 QR code using the tracer app.