New Zealand has reported 68 new community cases of the coronavirus, the most significant daily increase since April last year as an outbreak of the delta variant continues to grow.
The government put the nation on a strict lockdown last week as it tries to crack down on the outbreak, which has risen to a total of 277 infections.
Thursday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that she is confident the lockdown is working and new cases will start to drop soon.
Also, on Thursday, national carrier Air New Zealand reported an annual loss of NZ $ 440 million, or about the US $ 306 million, after revenue fell nearly 50% due to the drop in international travel caused by the pandemic.
Eric is a professional news editor, writer, and blogger for the last 10 years. He is working with NewsGater as an off-beat news editor cum writer.