Three-day closure ordered in Auckland

The New Zealand government has decided strict containment measures for the city of Auckland, which will extend from Sunday evening to the next three days, after it was discovered that three members of the same family were infected.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday ordered the lockdown of Auckland, the country’s largest city, for three days, after a new source of coronavirus contamination was discovered. Nearly two million residents will be asked to stay at home as of midnight Sunday. Schools and businesses will remain closed on Monday, except for businesses considered “essential.”

Three members of the same family tested positive over the weekend, sparking concern in a country that has been praised internationally for its highly effective handling of the pandemic.

“Precaution”

Jacinda Ardern explained that this confinement was decided “as a precautionary measure, in the event that the detected strain of the virus is one of the most transmissible strains.” “The main thing we are asking people in Auckland is to stay home to avoid any risk of spreading the disease.”

The large northern city will also be isolated from the rest of the country. Thus, entrances and exits to Auckland will be severely restricted. One of the results of this limitation is the postponement of the next rounds of the Prada Cup final to an unknown date, which is a qualifying event for the America’s Cup.

The following boat races were scheduled between Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Team UK on Wednesday in Auckland Bay. The rest of the archipelago will go to a level 2 health alert, which requires wearing a mask on public transport and banning gatherings of more than 100 people.

Find the source of pollution

Authorities are trying to determine the source of the family’s infection. “There is still a missing piece of the puzzle,” said Health Minister Chris Hepkins, adding that health officials are also looking “to see if Covid-19 may be elsewhere in the community and whether it is circulating.”

The three positive people are the father, mother and daughter. The woman works for a company that provides linen and meals for international flights. Health Director Ashley Bloomfield said the investigation initially focused on the company “because of its apparent connection abroad.”

But he added that “it is too early to rule out any source of infection,” stressing that eight days have passed between the last day of labor of the infected woman and her positive examination.

Praise the management

New Zealand recorded several cases of Covid-19 three weeks ago, ending a period of more than two months without any contamination. The origin of these cases has been determined in a hotel where people coming from abroad have been placed in quarantine.

Auckland experienced a two-week shutdown last summer after an infection outbreak linked to a cold room worker who was handling imported frozen produce. But since then, the archipelago has not deplored any cases of local pollution.

New Zealand’s record in combating Covid-19 abroad has been hailed, with the archipelago’s total number of infections below 2,000 since the start of the pandemic. In total, 25 deaths have been attributed to Covid-19 in this country. New Zealand has closed its borders to foreign travelers since March, and imposed a strict five-week lockdown last spring.