New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland will be shut down from midday on Wednesday after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warned four new cases of coronavirus had emerged.
The country had achieved a record 102 days of no new transmissions and has been widely held up internationally as the model on how to beat the virus.
Citizens in Auckland will be expected to work from home unless they are essential workers, and schools will close, as will bars, cafes and restaurants until the end of the week.
Ardern said in a televised press conference, “We’re asking people in Auckland to stay home to stop the spread.
“Act as if you have COVID, and as though people around you have COVID.”
The country had moved hard and fast to react to the pandemic, banning non-New Zealand nationals travelling from China before there were any cases in the country. Those nationals that did travel from China were forced to quarantine for 14 days.
A month later in March, all visitors to New Zealand needed to self-isolate for 14 days and the borders were virtually closed. It implemented an alert system ranging from 1-4, with 4 being the most severe. Ardern warned on Wednesday that the whole country would not be on level 2 alert.
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