New Zealand puts Auckland under lockdown amid fresh cases of COVID-19

After more than 100 days of not detecting a single coronavirus case, New Zealand reported first local cases of COVID-19 and put its largest city Auckland under lockdown to contain the fresh outbreak. The medical authorities have detected at least four coronavirus positive cases in one household from an unknown source. Contact tracing is currently underway to prevent the further spread of the deadly disease, said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and added that the people in the country were able to ‘beat the virus’ once before and they can do it again. 

The authorities have declared that Auckland would move up to Level 3 of COVID-19 alert from the noon of August 12 through midnight August 14. People are encouraged to work remotely and are not allowed to enter or leave the city. The entire country has again been declared under alert level 2 and the authorities called the recent flare-ups in cases as “wake-up call” against any complacency that may have set in. The index case of COVID-19 after 102 days is a person in their 50s who lives in South Auckland. 

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Jacinda Ardern called it 'difficult information'

While updating about the fresh cases of COVID-19, Jacinda Ardern called it difficult information’. She noted how many in the nation had hoped to not find in the same position yet again after going through a stringent battle. According to New Zealand Prime Minister putting Auckland under lockdown for three days would give the authorities to assess the entire situation and gather information to ensure the widespread contact tracing. Ardern also said that even though the nation had wished to not have flare-ups, they were prepared for it. 

“These three days will give us time to assess the situation, gather information, make sure we have widespread 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 further information,” Ardern said.

She added, “I know that this information will be very difficult to receive. We had all hoped not to find ourselves in this position again. But we had also prepared for it. And as a team, we have also been here before.”
 

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Image/Inputs: AP