Coronavirus breaks out again in New Zealand after 102 days

 New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday that authorities have found four cases of coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unkwn source, first reported cases of local transmission in country in 102 days.

Ardern said Auckland, nation's largest city, will be moved to Alert Level 3 from midday Wednesday through midnight Friday, meaning that people will be asked to stay at home, while bars and many or businesses will be closed.

“se three days will give us time to assess situation, gar information, make sure we have widespre contact tracing so we can find out more about how this case arose and make decisions about how to respond to it once we have furr information,” Ardern said at a hastily called news conference late Tuesday.

“I kw that this information will be very difficult to receive,” Ardern said. “We h all hoped t to find ourselves in this position again. But we h also prepared for it. And as a team, we have also been here before.”

She said that traveling into Auckland will be banned unless people live re and are traveling home.

She said rest of country will be raised to Level 2 through Friday, meaning that mass garings will be limited to 100 attendees and people would need to socially distance mselves from each or.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said infections were confirmed after a person in ir 50s went to ir doctor on Monday with symptoms and was swabbed twice, testing positive both times. Six or people in person's household were n tested, with three more positive results.

“Importantly, person has history of overseas travel,” Bloomfield said, ding that source of infections remains unkwn.

Until Tuesday, only kwn cases of virus in New Zealand were 22 travelers who h recently returned from abro and were being held in quarantine at border.

country has been praised globally for its virus response.

New Zealand initially got rid of virus by imposing a strict lockdown in late March when only about 100 people h tested positive for disease. That stopped its spre.

Life h returned to rmal for many people in South Pacific nation of 5 million, as y attended rugby games at packed stiums and sat down in bars and restaurants without fear of getting infected. But some h warned that country h become complacent.

New Zealanders have never routinely worn masks, but authorities have been urging people to buy m just in case.

outbreak comes less than six weeks before New Zealanders are due to go to polls in a general election.