New Zealand: First Covid identified in 6 months, nationwide lockdown
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a nationwide lockdown following the discovery of a new type of Covid-19 in the body of a 56-year-old man in Auckland, New Zealand.
The man was suffering from COVID since last Thursday.
This is the first time in New Zealand since February that a Covid-19 has been identified at the local level.
Prime Minister Jacinda told a news conference on Tuesday (August 18th) that authorities believed the Delta-type infection was highly contagious. Genome sequencing of the virus is still ongoing.
The one-week lockdown in the area will continue as Covid is identified in Auckland. The lockdown will continue for three days in the rest of the country.
The lockdown will take effect at around 12pm local time on Tuesday. People must stay indoors under the strictest four-level lockdown. Schools, offices, businesses will all be closed. Only emergency services will continue.
Authorities have already identified 23 potential areas of infection. Only 20 percent of the country's population has received the full dose of the vaccine.
The Prime Minister said, “Our country is one of the last countries in the world where delta type has spread. We are in a position to learn from experience abroad and see which steps will work and which will not.
