Waikato District's Mayor says it's an unsettling time for communities impacted by a "bespoke" Alert Level Four.

A Section 70 notice is now in place for people who live, work or have travelled through the Mangatangi area since September 8.

It obliges them to stay home at least five days, to allow testing and contact tracing.

It comes after a Covid-positive prisoner was remanded to the area, and three household contacts also caught the virus.

Mayor Allan Sanson says up to two-thousand people will be affected by the order.

Associate Vice President of Corrections Paul Dennehy says with the remanded inmate was being tracked they should already know where he went between leaving Mt Eden prison to arriving at his Waikato address.

UPDATE:

The covid-positive prisoner made four stops before reaching his bail address.

The Department of Corrections says two were at private addresses in Mt Albert and Māngere, a supermarket at Pokeno and another on the road near the address in Kaiaua.

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