New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, is returning to a seven-day blockade following the emergence of a new coronavirus case.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the change on Saturday, with officials still working to identify the origin of the coronavirus in this case, Reuters reported.
Countries have been closely monitoring virus variants in the UK, Africa and Brazil.
Officials said the patient was infected on Sunday and visited several public places before realizing two days later that he had symptoms.
Next week, city residents will only be allowed to go out to buy groceries or essential jobs. The rest of the country has level two blocks and does not allow large meetings.
New Zealand saw some cases of coronavirus earlier this month, with three of the cases being the UK coronavirus variant.
There is evidence that the UK variant is more contagious and more deadly than the previous variants.
The authorities are trying to see if the new case is related to previous cases.
New Zealand has seen more than 2,000 reported cases and more than 20 deaths from the virus, dramatically lower compared to other countries, with the country going into blockade after new cases have emerged.