The entire country will be locked down for at least three days, starting at midnight on August 18. The two coastal cities that the infected person has visited, Auckland and Coromandel, will be locked down for seven days. Under the level four lockdown - the highest level in New Zealand, locals can only leave their homes to buy essentials, get tested for Covid-19, seek medical treatment and exercise in the surrounding area.
A deserted highway during a nationwide lockdown in Wellington, New Zealand in April 2020. Photo: Anadolu/Mike Clare
"The Delta variant has been called a game-changer, and it is. That's why we needed to act aggressively early to prevent its spread. We've seen what happens in other parts of the world if we don't contain it. We only have one chance," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
The Ministry of Health of New Zealand said the new case of Covid-19 was recorded in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. Specifically, a 58-year-old man from Devonport, Auckland was tested and confirmed positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, August 14, it is estimated that he may have started to be infected as early as Thursday, August 12. The patient and his wife traveled to the Coromandel region on Friday, August 13 and returned to Auckland on the 15. So far, the Ministry of Health of New Zealand has identified 23 potential locations of spread around Auckland and Coromandel.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks during a press conference on the Covid-19 pandemic at Parliament in April in Wellington, New Zealand - Photo: Mark Mitchell/Pool/Getty Images
This is the first community Covid-19 case in nearly 6 months (since February 28) that the country has not had any new cases, and is also the first level 4 lockdown in New Zealand since the initial pandemic response more than a year ago.
Ms. Ardern also clarified that it is not yet possible to determine whether this is a case of Delta variant infection or not because there are no results of gene sequencing, but the New Zealand Government will treat this as a case of Delta variant infection to take action. Data released by the New Zealand Ministry of Health on August 16 shows that 100% of Covid-19 cases recorded at the country's borders in recent weeks are related to the Delta variant.
