New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday announced a three-day nationwide lockdown after a single case of COVID-19 was reported in the largest city of Auckland. The lockdown will be implemented in the country from Tuesday midnight. Meanwhile, the lockdown will continue in Auckland for 7 days. Ardern announced this during a press conference in Wellington.
According to the reports, the PM said that the lockdown will remain in force for seven days in Auckland and the surrounding region, while it will implemented for three days across the country. Ardern said officials were assuming the new case was a delta variant, although this has not been confirmed.
Meanwhile, Ardern said, "We have seen what can happen elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it. We only get one chance. We are better to start high and be cautious, then move out as soon as we are comfortable doing so, than to start low and be in that phase (lockdown) for much, much longer. You only need to look at Australia to see the alternative. In New Zealand, 'go hard, go early' has served us well. Every case we've had at MIQ (border quarantine) recently has been the Delta variant and Delta is surging around the world. We need to assume this will be too and this has shaped all the decisions we have made."
The highly contagious Delta variant has now forced the country back under lockdown. All schools, public places and most businesses will remain closed during the lockdown. People have been advised to work from home. An appeal has been made to use face masks when there is a need to go out.
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