New Zealand goes into nationwide lockdown over a single COVID-19 case
New Zealand is headed into a nationwide lockdown after a single case of COVID-19 was confirmed.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Tuesday the country will be locked down after officials confirmed the first locally transmitted case of COVID-19 in six months, CNN reports. The lockdown will go into effect on Tuesday evening. Schools, offices, and businesses that aren't essential services will close under the level 4 lockdown, BBC News reports. Auckland and Coromandel will be locked down for seven days, as the man who tested positive lives in the former and visited the latter, and the rest of the country will lock down for three days, according to The Associated Press.
New Zealand was able to largely eliminate COVID-19 last year after implementing an early lockdown and closing its borders. The country recently announced it would reopen its borders to international travelers in early 2022.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I want to assure New Zealand that we have planned for this eventuality," Ardern said Tuesday, per BBC News. "Going hard and early has worked for us before."
Ardern, calling the Delta variant of COVID-19 a "game changer," added that "we have seen what can happen elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it," and "we only get one chance." But the prime minister said that "while we know that Delta is a more dangerous enemy to combat, the same actions that overcome the virus last year can be applied to beat it again."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
'The disconnect between actual health care and the insurance model is widening'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Cautious optimism surrounds plans for the world's first nuclear fusion power plant
Talking Point Some in the industry feel that the plant will face many challenges
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Explore new worlds this winter at these 6 enlightening museum exhibitions
The Week Recommends Discover the estrados of Spain and the connection between art and chess in various African countries
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Marty Makary: the medical contrarian who will lead the FDA
In the Spotlight What Johns Hopkins surgeon and commentator Marty Makary will bring to the FDA
By David Faris Published
-
California declares bird flu emergency
Speed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Bird flu one mutuation from human threat, study finds
Speed Read A Scripps Research Institute study found one genetic tweak of the virus could enable its spread among people
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dark chocolate tied to lower diabetes risk
Speed Read The findings were based on the diets of about 192,000 US adults over 34 years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
ACA opens 2025 enrollment, enters 2024 race
Speed Read Mike Johnson promises big changes to the Affordable Care Act if Trump wins the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
McDonald's sued over E. coli linked to burger
Speed Read The outbreak has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states and left one dead
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Long Covid: study shows damage to brain's 'control centre'
The Explainer Research could help scientists understand long-term effects of Covid-19 as well as conditions such as MS and dementia
By The Week UK Published
-
FDA OKs new Covid vaccine, available soon
Speed read The CDC recommends the new booster to combat the widely-circulating KP.2 strain
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published