New Zealand will remain in Level 4 lockdown until at least the end of the week as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country reaches three figures, totalling 107 cases since the outbreak which started on Tuesday (17 August).
According to newsroom, Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has announced that New Zealand will be staying at Level 4 while officials build a picture of the Delta’s spread as “there remain a number of unanswered questions, and with Delta, more certainty is needed”.
Auckland, the country’s largest city and the epicentre of the latest outbreak, will be in lockdown for longer, until 11.59pm on 31 August.
“The safest option for all of us right now is to hold the course for longer,” said Ardern at a news conference.
“If the world has taught us anything it is to be cautious with this variant of Covid-19,” she added.
From 1 case to 107 Covid-19 cases
New Zealand went into lockdown on Tuesday (17 August), within a few hours of the first case being detected. It is the first nationwide lockdown since March 2020, as reported by DW news.
The country reported 35 new infections on Monday (23 August), 33 of which were in Auckland and two in the capital, Wellington. The total number of infections in the current outbreak stands at 107, on day six of the nationwide lockdown.
This is the most cases reported in New Zealand since 10 April last year, of which 44 cases were recorded.
Of the 107 current cases, only 35 will continue to be under investigation to determine whether they are epidemiologically linked to the outbreak.
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