Australian politician resigns after leaking virus data

A former National Party president, Michelle Boag, also resigned from several political and nonpolitical roles after acknowledging she'd leaked the names to Walke New Zealand authorities said they will press charges against a coronavirus patient who escaped quarantine in Auckland and went shopping at a supermarket.

A New Zealand politician has resigned after admitting he leaked the names of coronavirus patients to news media. Conservative opposition lawmaker Hamish Walker said Wednesday he was sorry for his actions and was withdrawing his candidacy for the September general election in a seat he was expected to win. Walker sent the details of 18 patients to several news outlets on condition he remains anonymous as the source. He said he was exposing a "significant privacy issue" for the government because the patient names weren't password secured. But news organizations said he'd given them the information to refute claims he was racist after he'd earlier said that active cases were coming into the country from India, Pakistan and South Korea. The news organizations did not publish the names. National Party leader Todd Muller said there was a "clear breach of trust" by Walker, which went against the party's values. A former National Party president, Michelle Boag, also resigned from several political and nonpolitical roles after acknowledging she'd leaked the names to Walke

New Zealand authorities said they will press charges against a coronavirus patient who escaped quarantine in Auckland and went shopping at a supermarket. Air Commodore Darryn Webb, head of managed isolation and quarantine, said the 32-year-old man escaped through a fence at the Stamford Plaza Hotel and was gone for just over an hour before returning. The man later tested positive for the virus. Webb said he was a New Zealander who'd recently returned from India and his actions were "completely unacceptable." New Zealand has eliminated community transmission of the virus and is trying to contain cases at the border by placing new arrivals into a 14-day quarantine at various hotels. The man could face a fine or a maximum of six months in jail if found guilty. Webb said security video indicated the man had not been in close contact with others at the Countdown supermarket and had used a self-service checkout. Nevertheless, the supermarket has been closed for a deep clean.