Judge orders sex workers back to Auckland

Two sex workers who sparked a Covid scare in the South Island have just over 24 hours to return to Auckland.

The two women appeared in Blenheim District Court this afternoon.

The duo appeared via video link from Blenheim police station, facing charges of failing to comply with an order made under section 11 of the Covid 19 Public Health Response Act 2020.

They were bailed with no plea back to Auckland and ordered to reappear back in court late October.

The move comes just hours after testing negative for the Delta variant of Covid-19.

Appearing separately before Judge Tony Zohrab, the pair only spoke to confirm their names, with one adding she has been in New Zealand for 11 years and that her English is not very good.

Both women have until 5pm tomorrow to check in with their local Auckland police stations, before being bailed to their home addresses.

It is understood the pair left Auckland on October 9 and were apprehended by police on Wednesday.

They face a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a $4000 fine.

One woman sought name suppression but was denied on the basis of public interest. The other did not apply for name suppression.

They have both since been granted interim name suppression.