A woman allegedly escaped from an Auckland managed isolation facility through a fire exit and wandered around the inner city for about two hours.

Nobody knew about it until she tried to escape again the next night.

On Friday morning about 1am, on-site security at the Grand Millennium Hotel stopped the woman trying to escape through a fire exit, a statement from Air Commodore Darryn Webb, head of managed isolation and quarantine, said.

Police spoke to the woman who revealed she had escaped the night before. She had left the hotel, in Auckland's CBD, about 1.07am and returned about 3.09am, the statement said.

The woman, who had arrived from Dubai on October 7, was captured on CCTV walking around the inner city.

An investigation is underway and charges are likely.

The woman was able to escape because security guards who were normally stationed near the fire exit were elsewhere on October 7, says Webb.

That was because of a 'local decision”, he said.

Fire exits that cannot be monitored by CCTV or that are not alarmed are normally monitored by security guards stationed near them, he said.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb, the head of managed isolation and quarantine. Photo: Christel Yardley/Stuff

The woman was tested on Friday morning after her escape and the result came back negative.

She also tested negative on October 1 in a pre-flight test and was cleared to fly.

Her next test is scheduled for Saturday, which will coincide with her routine day three test.

Webb said it was 'reassuring” testing prior to arrival and on Friday was negative and the woman did not have any symptoms of Covid-19.

He said police and staff who came into contact with the woman followed standard Covid-19 procedures.

However, public health officials are still investigating.

Security guards are now stationed outside the woman's room permanently to ensure she remains at the facility.

'These incidents are rare but we treat them extremely seriously,” Webb said.

'While I'm confident that we have strong security measures in place, these hotels are not prisons and this individual has wilfully absconded once, and then attempted to repeat this the following night when she was caught by security.”

Almost 60,000 people have been through managed isolation and quarantine, Webb said.

There have been ten incidents involving 14 people absconding from managed isolation.

In September, a man allegedly escaped a managed isolation facility in Auckland by climbing down bed sheets from a fourth storey window.

He was remanded in custody at the beginning of October and is due to reappear in the Auckland District Court on October 14.

No new reported cases of Covid-19 in the community for 14 days

Meanwhile, New Zealand has gone 14 days without a new case of Covid-19 in the community. There were two new cases in managed isolation reported on Friday.

Newly released documents show 500 out of an estimated 7000 border and managed isolation staff were tested for Covid-19 in the first week of August. Five days later, the first Covid-19 cases in the new Auckland cluster were reported.

Early trials of the CovidCard show the technology underperformed in complex environments with lots of metal, dust or people, such as a cafe or construction site.

Global toll

Global cases continue to climb, with 36.7m cases and more than 1,064,420 deaths worldwide.

The US has 7.6m cases of the virus, with 213,360 succumbing to it, according to Johns Hopkins University.

India is second on the global tally with 6.9m cases, and 106,490 deaths.

Brazil has topped 5m cases, with 148,957 deaths.

What should I do?

Anyone who wants to get tested can find their local testing centres by visiting the Ministry of Health website.

New Zealand, including Auckland, is at Covid-19 alert level 1.

Face masks are not required in level 1, but their use is still encouraged.

If you are sick, call your GP before you visit, or call Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

To avoid contracting and spreading the virus, wash your hands properly, cough and sneeze into the crook of your elbow and throw tissues away immediately.

Reach out, find support from people who care, connect with your community or help a neighbour in need.

Kendall Hutt/Stuff