A man in Auckland has contracted the Delta variant
New Zealand will enter a snap three-day lockdown from tonight after a man tested positive to the ultra-infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed the level four restrictions will come into place for the entire country at 11:59pm today (Tuesday). Auckland’s lockdown will last for seven days in a bid to prevent spread within the community and a larger-scale outbreak.
The 58-year-old man’s positive test is the first in New Zealand for 170 days. Authorities are not yet sure how he contracted the virus but say he has been infectious since August 12.
Announcing the lockdown today, Ardern said the measures are necessary to prevent the sort of outbreaks seen in Australia where the Delta variant has proved extremely difficult to control.
She said: “We have seen what has happened in Sydney. Go hard, go early has served us well."
The man, who lives in Devonport, on Auckland's north shore, visited Coromandel over the weekend with his wife. His wife - who has tested negative - has been fully vaccinated, but the man has not yet had a first dose.
The level four restrictions mean New Zealanders will only be able to leave their homes for exercise in their own neighbourhood, essential shopping and to seek medical assistance. All gatherings have been cancelled and businesses, except essential services, will be forced to close.
It has been 12 months since New Zealand faced such harsh restrictions, with day-to-day life having returned to normal. But recently, all cases required overseas have been of the Delta variant, posing far greater risk if the virus spread into the community.
