Coronavirus: Containment extended again in New Zealand
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that New Zealand would extend the lockdown in place to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus, saying the outbreak of the delta type had not yet reached its peak.
Level 4 national containment has been extended for three days, until midnight on August 27. In Auckland, the epicenter of the outbreak, restrictions will remain in place at least until August 31.
“For now, the safest option for all of us is to continue on the path for a longer period,” the prime minister said at a press conference.
“If (the situation in) the world teaches us anything, we have to be careful with this variant of COVID-19,” she added.
Jacinda Ardern said cases of contact of people with the Delta type have been reported across the country. Cases have been identified in more than 320 sites and 13,000 contacts have been recorded, a number much higher than observed in previous outbreaks.
Earlier today, New Zealand reported 35 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 107.
(Pravin Menon, French version by Camille Raynaud and Dagmarh Macaus, edited by Blandin Hinault)
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