WELLINGTON (Reuters) – A coronavirus outbreak that left New Zealand’s largest city in a sudden blockade over the weekend involved the UK’s most transmissible variant, health officials confirmed on Monday, the first time the strain was detected locally.
Auckland’s nearly 2 million residents were put on a new three-day blockade on Sunday after three new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the city.
The genome sequencing of two of the cases – all three are immediate relatives – revealed that they were variant B1.1.7. The source of the cases remains unknown, officials said, adding that they are examining international genome databases for a match.
“We were absolutely right to make the decision to be extremely cautious because we assumed it would be one of the most communicable variants,” said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a Facebook Live post on Monday.
The Auckland blockade is the first in New Zealand in six months, after a violent closure early in the pandemic appeared to have largely eliminated local transmission. The country was ranked as the best performing country in an Australian Lowy Institute index of nearly 100 countries based on coronavirus containment.
The new outbreak prompted neighboring Australia to suspend an agreement that allowed New Zealanders to enter Australia without fulfilling a 14-day hotel quarantine period.
The New Zealand health department said on Monday that there were no new cases of transmission in the community, but five in managed isolation facilities.
The country has reported a total of 2,330 confirmed and probable cases since the start of the pandemic, a fraction of those reported by other developed nations, including 25 deaths. Forty-seven cases remained active, health officials said on Monday.
In Auckland, long lines formed outside supermarkets after Sunday’s announcement, as people tried to stock up on products before implementing the order requiring them to stay at home, except for essential purchases and work.
The COVID-19 alert for the rest of the country was raised to Level 2, with all meetings limited to 100 people.
(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Peter Cooney and Jane Wardell)