WELLINGTON, New Zealand – New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, will enter a three-day blockade starting just before midnight on Sunday, following the discovery of three unexplained cases of coronavirus in the community.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the measure after an urgent meeting with other key Cabinet lawmakers. She said they decided to take a cautious approach until they found out more about the outbreak, including whether infections are the most contagious variants.
The blockade is the first in New Zealand in six months and represents a significant setback in the country’s successful efforts to control the virus. It will also force the postponement of the America’s Cup sailing regatta.
New Zealand has successfully suppressed the spread of the community and many people around the world looked on with envy when New Zealanders returned to work and started attending concerts and sporting events without the need to wear masks or take other precautions.
In fact, Ardern on Sunday planned to attend Big Gay Out, an Auckland festival that celebrates the rainbow community and attracts tens of thousands of people. She ended up canceling those plans and returning to Wellington to manage the outbreak.
“I am asking New Zealanders to remain strong and kind,” Ardern said at a press conference hurriedly organized on Sunday night. “I know that we all feel the same way when that happens. We all have that ‘no again’ feeling. 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 lies on the border.
New cases are regularly detected among returning travelers, who are required to spend two weeks in quarantine. Despite the precautions, there have been several times that the virus leaked from the border before being controlled again, and authorities are trying to determine whether it happened again.
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In the latter case, a mother, father and daughter from Auckland contracted the disease. Authorities said the mother works at a catering company that washes clothes for airlines, and authorities are investigating whether there is a connection with infected passengers. Authorities said the woman was not boarding the planes.
Officials said the rest of New Zealand outside Auckland would also be subject to greater restrictions, although it was not blocked.
“We are gathering all the facts as quickly as possible, and the system that has served us so well in the past is really getting ready to do it again,” said Covid-19 Minister of Response Chris Hipkins.
He described the cases as new and active. He said that scientists are carrying out genome sequencing to see if they are variants and also correspond to infected passengers.
“New Zealand kept Covid-19 better contained than almost any other country,” said Hipkins. “But, as we have always 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.