New outbreak discovered, three-day confinement ordered in Auckland

A three-day lockdown was imposed in Auckland after a new source of coronavirus infection was discovered this weekend.

1.7 million residents will be asked to stay at home as of midnight Sunday. Schools and businesses will remain closed on Monday, except for businesses that are considered “BasicNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced.

The first cases after two months without any contamination

The coronavirus outbreak was detected earlier this weekend in New Zealand, where three members of the same family tested positive, including a woman who works for a catering company and serves international flights.

«There are new and active infectionsHealth Minister Chris Hepkins said the source of the contamination had not yet been identified. New Zealand authorities have played down any relationship with meals on board, asserting that eight days have passed between the infected woman’s last working day and her positive test.

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New Zealand recorded several cases of Covid-19 three weeks ago, ending a period of more than two months without any contamination.

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