Auckland is reshaping itself against the British alternative

The two million residents of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, began a three-day confinement on Monday, in a strict measure in a bid to contain the first hotbed of infection with the British type of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered 72 hours of confinement after three cases were discovered in the same family. Schools and non-essential businesses remained closed Monday morning, and residents were prohibited from leaving the city, unless there was a compelling reason.

How did the alternative come about?

The Ministry of Health said research had shown that two patients had the British variant. The results of third-person tests are not yet known. “This supports the decision to move quickly and aggressively to prevent any risk of further contamination,” the ministry said.

The authorities explained that no positive test has been conducted at this stage on the relatives of the three patients, which gives hope that the detention will be lifted quickly.

But they still do not know how this alternative got to the archipelago, which seemed to have almost completely eradicated the virus. A positive person works for a company that provides linen and meals for international flights.

First incarceration after six months

Ashley Bloomfield, chief health officer, noted that investigations initially focused on this company “because of its apparent association 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.

This is the first containment in nearly six months in New Zealand, a country whose effectiveness in responding to the pandemic has been hailed abroad. For its part, the Prime Minister’s Office announced the arrival of the first batch of the vaccine, 60,000 doses.