WELLINGTON – New Zealand extended a national Covid-19 lockdown today as case numbers continue to rise and a Delta variant outbreak spreads from Auckland to the capital here.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the initial three-day lockdown, which would have expired overnight today, will be extended by another four days.
She said New Zealand is still trying to assess the scale of the outbreak, which emerged in Auckland this week, ending the country’s run of six months without community transmission.
“We just don’t quite know the full scale of this Delta outbreak. All in all, this tells us we need to continue to be cautious.”
She said all the cases, including those here, are linked, giving less cause for concern.
“That’s important as it means we’re starting to build a picture of the edges of this cluster.
“At this stage, we don’t have random cases popping up.”
New Zealand has won widespread praise for its Covid-19 response, which focuses on eliminating the virus in the community rather than containing it.
It has seen only 26 deaths in a population of five million.
But, its vaccine roll-out has been less stellar, with only around 20% of the population fully inoculated.
Neighbouring Australia has been pursuing a similar “Covid zero” strategy, but is struggling to contain Delta outbreaks.
The New Zealand outbreak has been traced to a traveller who returned from Sydney earlier this month, although it remains unclear how the virus jumped quarantine containment into the community. – AFP, August 20, 2021
