February 14, the New Zealand government announced three local cases of the novel coronavirus in China of unknown origin, and then announced that Oakland, the largest city, was closed for three days, and all people were required to stay at home except for necessary shopping and work.
According to Reuters, this is the second local case in New Zealand since January 24.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health said on the morning of February 15 that two of the tests confirmed that two cases were the first coronavirus variant virus strain B117 found in the United Kingdom.
This is also the first time that this coronavirus strain has appeared in New Zealand.
Authorities say the origin of these cases remains unknown.
“We are absolutely right to make a cautious decision because we think it will be a more infectious variant,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Facebook on the 15th.
After the lockdown order in Oakland was issued, people lined up outside supermarkets that day in an attempt to stock up on enough daily necessities before the lockdown was imposed.
Auckland’s full lockdown is the first time in six months in New Zealand, which has only been in place early last year’s pandemic, after which the country has largely eliminated locally transmitted cases.
The Roy Institute of Australia conducted an index assessment of nearly 100 countries based on the extent of their containment of the pandemic, and New Zealand was ranked as the best performing country.
New Zealand has reported a total of 2,330 confirmed and suspected cases since the outbreak of the coronavirus, including 25 deaths.
