Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday in the capital, Wellington, that the stricter requirements in the entire Pacific state would now apply, at least until Saturday. And 35 new cases have already been known.

Most of the infections from the current outbreak have been recorded in Auckland, New Zealand’s North Island, the country’s largest city. The capital itself is also affected.

Very careful strategy

The island nation of five million people has largely isolated itself from the outside world since March 2020. In April, the government opened a corridor for travel with neighboring Australia, but it was closed again at the end of July due to the coronavirus wave in the larger neighbour. Last Tuesday, Ardern imposed a strict lockdown on one new confirmed case in Auckland – the first since March 2020.

Most shops and schools are now closed. According to the authorities in New Zealand, a total of 107 infections have been recorded – also due to the more dangerous Delta type of virus. “We need more information,” Ardern said. “We don’t want to take a risk with Delta. If we teach the world anything, we have to be careful with that alternative.”