A person with Covid-19 had to be rescued when swimming at Te Henga (Bethells Beach) on Auckland’s west coast on Sunday.
Surf Life Saving Northern Region (SLSNR) chief executive Matt Williams said for the person to have gone to the beach knowing they had Covid-19 was “an incredibly poor decision".
“It’s really disappointing that an individual who knew they were Covid-positive has made the decision to present at a crowded public beach,” Williams said in a statement.
“To me, that alone is unacceptable. But for that person to then require rescuing by the Bethells Beach lifeguards, putting those guards and the viability of the service at Bethells itself at significant risk, worsens the situation considerably.”
He said during Phase 3 the Omicron outbreak, surf life savers require a high level of trust with the public.
"This exposure puts our guards at risk unnecessarily and goes against the grain of working with lifeguards - one of our key messages this summer.”
“The consequences of this event could impact the viability of our patrols at Bethell’s Beach going forward. We ask that anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19, or who is displaying symptoms, to stay home so this situation is not repeated," Williams said.
On Monday there were 14,633 new Covid-19 community cases in New Zealand.
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