A nationwide lockdown has been announced in New Zealand six months after the first Code 19 case came to light.
From 12 midnight on August 17 (New Zealand time) there will be a nationwide lockdown for at least 3 days, while in Auckland and the Coromandel region it will be 4 to 7 days.
Alert Level 4 has been imposed in New Zealand following this first case, reflecting the strictest lockdown restrictions.
The Level 4 lockdown was last imposed in the country at the start of the Corona epidemic, and the current restrictions are due to the belief that the new case is the first case of a delta-type corona locally.
Announcing the lockdown, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said: "Delta is being called a game-changer and that's right. We have seen what happened to the failures in other countries, we have only one chance.
The new lockdown instructs New Zealanders that only their family members will be at home and that they will only be able to leave their homes to buy food or medicine, while maintaining social distance. Have to keep
"We don't know yet whether this new case is the result of Delta and will have to wait for genome sequencing, but the government is taking action with Delta in mind," said Jacinda Ardern.
"The delta is spreading very fast around the world and we are one of the few countries in the world where this type of corona has not yet begun to spread at the community level, so we have a lot to learn from others," he said.
"We have seen the devastating consequences of delays in other countries, as well as in our neighborhood," he said.
He cited Australia, where the Corona wave is currently out of control, as New Zealand authorities have yet to determine the source of the new case.
The case involved a 58-year-old Auckland resident who had not been vaccinated.
According to medical officials, the case is a "national issue" because we cannot link the case to borders and it is possible that there will be more cases in Auckland and the virus will spread.
Most New Zealanders have not yet been vaccinated, and only 22% of the population over the age of 16 has been vaccinated.
New Zealand citizens are not banned from wearing masks, but the Prime Minister and medical officials have urged people to wear masks after leaving home.
