Photos: New Zealand ends 102-day virus free run; lockdown reimposed

The emergence of four new coronavirus cases has broken New Zealand's 102-day spell of remaining Covid-19 free. A three-day stay-at-home order for Auckland was imposed on the afternoon of August 12 with the new cases coming to light, as officials struggled to string tpgether a contact chain. News of the virus resurgence led to long queues at testing centers as well as supermarkets, while the administration also ordered the locking down of aged care homes to prevent chances of transmission spots from emerging in the city of 1.5 million people.

Updated on: Aug 13, 2020 10:51 AM IST

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A view of a deserted street in Auckland on August 12. New Zealand’s world-beating run of being Covid-free has come to an end, with the detection of 4 new cases prompting the government to put its largest city Auckland into a lockdown. (Brendon O'Hagan / Bloomberg)

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Chairs lean against tables at a closed cafe in Auckland. On August 12, authorities had confirmed four cases of the virus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, and were awaiting the test results of four more people possibly infected, AP reported. (Brendon O'Hagan / Bloomberg)

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Police officers wearing protective masks signal to motorists at a checkpoint in Auckland on August 12. According to AFP, police officials were deployed to roadblocks to enforce new lockdown measures as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern brought in a three-day stay-at-home order for Auckland, starting on the afternoon of August 12. (Brendon O'Hagan / Bloomberg)

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A ‘closed’ notice is displayed on the door of a cafe in Auckland on August 12. Auckland was moved to Alert Level 3 at midday on August 12, a designation initially set to continue till August 14; under which non-essential workers are required to stay home, while bars, restaurants and most businesses will be closed. (Brendon O'Hagan / Bloomberg)

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Shoppers queue outside a supermarket in the suburb of Devonport in Auckland on August 12. AFP reported that as the news of the new cases spread, panic buying returned to supermarkets and people stood in long queues at COVID-19 testing stations. (David Rowland / AFP)

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A Covid-19 advisory is displayed on a mobile phone in Christchurch on August 12. The new cluster of cases came as an unpleasant surprise to many and raised questions about whether the nation’s general election would go ahead as planned next month. Under New Zealand law, the government could delay the election for up to about two months, AP reported. (Mark Baker / AP)

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Medical staff tests residents at a pop up Covid-19 testing centre in Auckland on August 12. Prime Minister Ardern announced that more than 200 people with connections to those who tested positive were contacted on August 12 itself, “Our plan of mass testing, rapid contact tracing and, of course, our restrictions to stop the chain of transmission has been in full swing in Auckland today,” Ardern said in a public statement. (Greg Bowker / New Zealand Herald via AP)

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A contact tracing QR code is displayed at a marina in Auckland on August 12. New Zealand had been held up by the WHO for containing the disease after recording only 22 deaths in five million people. “We’ve been here before; we can get through it if we work together,” National director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield told AFP. (Brendon O'Hagan / Bloomberg)