Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, has begun a three-day lockdown following the discovery of three unexplained cases of coronavirus in the community.
Health officials said Monday that the cases were of the most contagious variant first found in Britain and that genome testing had not linked them to any previous known cases.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the closure after an urgent meeting with other top Cabinet legislators.
She said they decided to take a cautious approach until they find out more about the outbreak.
The lockdown, which runs through Wednesday, is the first in New Zealand in six months and represents a significant setback to the nation’s largely successful efforts to control the virus. It has also caused a delay in the America’s Cup sailing regatta.
New Zealand had succeeded in eradicating community spread, and many people in other parts of the world watched with envy as New Zealanders returned to work and began attending concerts and sporting events without the need to wear masks or take other precautions.
In fact, Ardern had planned on Sunday to attend the Big Gay Out, an Auckland festival that celebrates the rainbow community and draws tens of thousands of people. He ended up canceling those plans and returning to Wellington to handle the outbreak.
“I ask New Zealanders to remain strong and kind,” Ardern said at a hastily organized news conference. “I know we all feel the same when this happens. We all get that feeling of No ‘again. But remember, we’ve been here before and that means we know how to get out of this again, and that’s together. “
New Zealand’s greatest vulnerability has been the border.
New cases are regularly detected among returning travelers, all of whom must spend two weeks in quarantine. Despite the precautions, there have been several times the virus has leaked from the border before being controlled again, and officials are trying to determine if that happened again.
In the latter case, a mother, father and daughter from Auckland contracted the disease. Officials said the mother works at a catering company that washes clothes for airlines and officials are investigating whether there is a link to infected passengers. Authorities said the woman was not getting on the planes.
The rest of New Zealand outside of Auckland have also had restrictions imposed, including limiting the crowd size to 100.
“We are gathering all the facts as quickly as we can, and the system that served us so well in the past is preparing to do so again,” said COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.
He described the cases as new and active.
“New Zealand has kept COVID-19 contained better than almost any other country,” Hipkins said. “But as we have said, there is no risk.”
New Zealand, with a population of 5 million, has reported a total of just over 2,300 cases and 25 deaths since the pandemic began.
The country has hosted the America’s Cup sailing regatta. Racing was to continue on Wednesday in the Prada Cup Challenger Series, but organizers have announced that a postponement will be necessary. Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli leads INEOS Team UK of Great Britain 4-0 in the first to seven series. The winner will face Emirates Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup.
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.