- One new COVID-19 case reported in New Zealand.
- New Zealand Prime Minister declares a nationwide lockdown.
- New Zealand stamping out the virus in very early stages.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that kiwis will be subject to a nationwide ‘level four’ lockdown from 11:59pm local time (11:59am GMT) following the reporting of a single new COVID-19 case in Auckland.
According to Ardern, coronavirus case detected in Auckland it the country’s first community-transmitted infection since February.
“It is better to start high and go down levels rather than start too low, not contain the virus and see it move quickly,” the prime minister said, drawing on the “dire consequences” other countries and nearby Australia have experienced by not stamping out the virus in the very early stages.
The countrywide shutdown is due to last three days, while in Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula the lockdown will last a week. Under ‘alert level four’ restrictions – New Zealand’s tightest measures – kiwis are only able to leave their homes for pharmacies, groceries, COVID-19 testing, medical care and for exercise in the neighborhood.
It is yet to be determined whether the Delta variant is responsible for New Zealand’s singular COVID-19 case.
The isolated incident is the country’s first locally transmitted infection since February 28, breaking its six-month run without a single community case.
The prime minister has championed a policy of early response lockdowns and strict border closures to stop infections from seeping into the nation. Last week, Ardern announced that New Zealand will reopen its borders in early 2022 once the majority of the population is vaccinated.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the nation of some 5 million has weathered the pandemic relatively unscathed in comparison to other countries, having recorded just over 2,500 cases and 26 deaths.
WAT VUN DESEN ARTIKEL WEI HUELEN:
- “It is better to start high and go down levels rather than start too low, not contain the virus and see it move quickly,” the prime minister said, drawing on the “dire consequences” other countries and nearby Australia have experienced by not stamping out the virus in the very early stages.
- Since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the nation of some 5 million has weathered the pandemic relatively unscathed in comparison to other countries, having recorded just over 2,500 cases and 26 deaths.
- The countrywide shutdown is due to last three days, while in Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula the lockdown will last a week.
