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New Zealand’s Auckland goes into three-day lockdown
Auckland will enter a three-day lockdown at midnight, Ardern said at a news conference Sunday after an emergency Cabinet meeting
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a short lockdown for its largest city Auckland while authorities investigate three new cases of Covid-19 in the community.
Auckland will enter a three-day lockdown at midnight, Ardern said at a news conference Sunday after an emergency Cabinet meeting. The alert level for the remainder of New Zealand will rise to 2, which requires social distancing and signals the risk of community transmission. Cabinet will meet again on Monday.
“These new cases pose questions,” Ardern said. “We need to act with a high degree of caution” because they could be one of the more virulent strains, she said.
It is the second regional lockdown in New Zealand since Aucklanders were asked to isolate at home for about three weeks in August. That outbreak was successfully contained and eliminated, and New Zealanders have enjoyed a summer free of any restrictions until now.
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Earlier Sunday, the Ministry of Health reported three new cases of Covid-19 in a family from South Auckland -- a mother, father and daughter. It is not yet clear how they contracted the virus. In addition to visiting local shops, two of the people traveled to the city of New Plymouth last weekend, where they visited a number of tourist attractions.
The woman works for LSG Sky Chefs, an airline catering company, which is an “obvious connection to the border,” Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told the news conference. She is not involved in handling food for the company, he said.
Auckland’s move to Alert Level 3 means people are asked to stay at home and work remotely if possible. Schools, daycare centers, shops and public venues are largely closed, and gatherings are restricted to 10 people.
For the rest of New Zealand, Alert Level 2 requires social distancing and mask wearing, but schools and businesses remain open. Gatherings are restricted to 100 people.
