Just two days ago, New Zealand celebrated its 100 days without new Coronavirus infections, the joy lasted very little, because today Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed four new cases in the city of Auckland, the largest in the country.
Auckland has returned to confinement after a family was infected with Coronavirus, the four members tested positive, the reason for the contagion is still unknown, the infected claimed not to have traveled or had contact with infected people.
Jacinda Ardern, who was praised by international media for her management in the face of COVID-19, released the news at a press conference. «After 102 days, we have our first cases of COVID-19 outside of isolation or quarantine centers … while we have worked incredibly hard to prevent this scenario, we have also prepared for this», she said.
The New Zealand Prime Minister was optimistic and indicated that the country is prepared for a second wave of the virus, also Ardern recommended that citizens not be careless and act with caution to avoid contagion «Act as if you have COVID-19 and as if the people to your they had COVID-19 around «.
The government decreed the confinement «Level 3» in the city of Auckland, this means that citizens will only be able to work from their homes, with the exception of essential workers, also ordered the closure of public places such as bars, restaurants, cafeterias, among others.
New Zealand was praised internationally for its strategies to defeat the Coronavirus, the country imposed a quarantine in March, one of the strictest in the world, which allowed it to return to normal on June 9. The new cases of COVID-19 arrive in the middle of the electoral campaign for the general elections on September 17.