Lockdown in Auckland Extended by A Week

The New Zealand metropolis of Auckland will remain in lockdown until September 21. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced this.

A week ago, strict measures were lifted in the rest of the country. Still, according to the prime minister, the extension in the city of two million inhabitants is necessary to prevent the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Ardern stresses that the lockdown has helped contain the outbreak but added that the job is not done yet. “The infections tell us we have more work to do.” On Monday, 33 new Covid-19 cases were reported in New Zealand, all in Auckland, the epicentre of the most recent outbreak.

Auckland has been in lockdown for 26 days; less strict corona rules apply in the rest of the country. There, people are still required to wear face masks in public indoor areas, and meetings in buildings have a maximum of fifty visitors.