From midnight on Wednesday 18 August throughout New Zealand a lockdown will take effect after the first coronavirus infection was found in Auckland, the country’s most populous city, after about six months. In the Auckland area and the nearby Coromandel Peninsula in the north of the country, the lockdown will be seven days, while in the rest of the country it will be three days.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said health authorities have not specified whether or not the case concerns the delta variant of the virus, but added that the risks of the spread of infections are too high and that for this reason we must act quickly. Ardern said that in addition to the closure of all non-essential activities, the vaccination campaign will also be suspended for 48 hours, to ensure that the administration of the vaccines can take place in safe environments.
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