New Zealand’s largest city will remain in lockdown for at least two more weeks, although some restrictions will be eased from Tuesday.
Auckland has been in the strictest form of lockdown for just over a month, the longest stretch since the pandemic began.
New Zealand has taken an unusual zero-tolerance approach to the coronavirus and has been trying to completely eliminate an outbreak of the delta variant. But the outbreak has proved stubborn, with the city continuing to report about 20 new local cases each day.
And the outbreak has spread beyond Auckland after an infected prisoner was bailed to his home in a small rural town.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she’s confident the lockdown is working and there isn’t the widespread undetected transmission.
From Tuesday, Aucklanders will be able to buy takeaway restaurant food, and some workplaces can reopen. But most people will still be required to live and work from home, and schools will remain closed.
New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, will remain in the strictest type of lockdown until Sept. 21 after the government on Monday reported 33 new COVID-19 infections.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said lockdown restrictions were working to eliminate the outbreak of the highly transmissible delta variant.
“We don’t want to risk the sacrifices everyone has made and all the hard work you’ve put in by moving to Alert Level 3 too quickly,” Ardern said, referring to a relaxation of Auckland’s Alert Level 4 restrictions.
The rest of New Zealand will remain on Alert Level 2 until next week because of the risk of COVID-19 spreading from Auckland, she said.
“While there is an outbreak in Auckland that continues to produce cases, there is risk,” Ardern said.
The nation since last month has been battling an outbreak that came from Australia. The outbreak had grown to 955 cases by Monday with 21 infected patients in hospital and four in intensive care.
The government is pursuing an unusual strategy of trying to eliminate the virus entirely.
