Authorities in New Zealand extended the country’s nationwide lockdown on Friday (Aug 20) as the number of new local Covid-19 cases rose, with some new cases being reported outside the current outbreak’s epicenter in Auckland, raising fears that the highly infectious delta variant could undo much of the country’s pandemic success.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the country’s lockdown – which was scheduled to end on Friday – will be extended until midnight Aug 24.
The decision was made after health authorities reported 11 new local Covid-19 cases on Friday, three of which were in the national capital, Wellington.
The three people from Wellington had recently traveled to Auckland – the epicenter of the current outbreak – and had visited locations that have now been identified as exposure sites.
As cases emerged outside Auckland, Ardern warned that the full scale of New Zealand’s delta variant outbreak remains unknown.
New Zealand’s health chief Ashley Bloomfield noted that the lockdown in Auckland, which has reported the majority of the new cases, may be extended beyond Aug 24.
(Compiled)
