WELLINGTON (NEW ZEALAND) – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern deferred on Friday a decision on whether to lift lockdown on the country’s biggest city of Auckland as 11 new cases were reported. Nine of them are linked to community transmission.
Auckland was placed in lockdown earlier this month until Aug. 26 following a spurt in the number of cases, forcing schools and business establishments to remain closed.
She said after a review of the lockdown, there was no need to change any settings, adding that it would be reviewed again on Monday.
“We have made good progress. Unlike our first lockdown we are not dealing with multiple outbreaks,” she said.
“There is nothing to suggest we need to change our course and certainly nothing that suggests that we need to escalate our response.”
With the new cases, the total number of infections in New Zealand has risen to 1,315, including 105 active cases. So far there have been 22 fatalities linked to the virus.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field