VI
EN
The entire country is under lockdown for at least three days, starting at midnight on August 18th. The two coastal cities where the infected person had traveled, Auckland and Coromandel, will be under lockdown for seven days. With a Level Four lockdown – the highest level in New Zealand – residents are only allowed to leave their homes to buy essential supplies, get tested for Covid-19, seek medical treatment, and exercise in their local area.
The highway was deserted during the nationwide lockdown in Wellington, New Zealand in April 2020 - Photo: Anadolu/Mike Clare
"The Delta variant is called a game-changer, and rightly so. That's why we need to act decisively early on to prevent its spread. We've seen what happens elsewhere in the world if we don't stop it. We only have one chance," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
The New Zealand Ministry of Health announced that the new Covid-19 case was recorded in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. Specifically, a 58-year-old man from Devonport, Auckland, tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, August 14th, with the infection likely originating on Thursday, August 12th. The patient and his wife traveled to the Coromandel region on Friday, August 13th, and returned to Auckland on August 15th. To date, the New Zealand Ministry of Health has identified 23 potential locations for transmission around Auckland and the Coromandel region.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at 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-transmitted Covid-19 case in nearly six months (since February 28) without any new cases in the country, and also marks 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 because genetic sequencing results are not yet available, but the New Zealand government will treat it as such and take action accordingly. Data released by the New Zealand Ministry of Health on August 16th showed that 100% of Covid-19 cases recorded at the country's borders in recent weeks have been linked to the Delta variant.
