New Zealand Goes into Lockdown

New Zealand has returned to full lockdown from midnight on Tuesday for the first time since March 2020, now that infection with the delta variant of the coronavirus has been identified.

It is the country’s first coronavirus infection since February.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the measure at a specially scheduled press conference.

The lockdown will remain in effect for three days across the country and seven days in the country’s largest city, Auckland, where the infection has been identified.

Due to the lockdown, all meetings are cancelled, and public locations are closed.

Schools have also closed their doors.

Only essential shops and services such as supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations will remain open.

It is not yet known where the infection came from.

There is currently no evidence that the person in question entered the country infected, local health authorities report.

This would mean that the person has contracted the virus in the country and more people are infected.

New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world where there were hardly any corona measures for a long time.

The strict national lockdown at the start of the pandemic left only 26 people dead from the effects of the virus.

Only 17 percent of the five million inhabitants have been vaccinated, but from September everyone can make an appointment for a shot.

The country has a strict border policy.

Only New Zealanders are allowed to return home but are required to quarantine in a hotel for fourteen days immediately after arrival.

By Joe Cusmano