After issuing a lockdown order when a single case of COVID-19 was found, New Zealand’s Prime Minister has extended the nationwide shutdown for four days after additional cases were discovered.
Jacinda Arden announced an additional four days have been added to her country’s shutdown in an effort to give contact tracers more time to find out how many people may have been exposed to the coronavirus outbreak centered in Auckland, CNN reported.
The level four lockdown now lasts until Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. but officials will reevaluate on Monday.
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Under level four, everyone must stay home and businesses, unless deemed essential, are closed.
The first recent case was identified in Auckland but others were recently found in the country’s capital of Wellington.
As of Friday, there were 31 new cases in New Zealand, Reuters reported.
>>Previous coverage: New Zealand locks down country for single COVID-19 case
“We are one of the last countries in the world to have the delta variant in our community,” Arden said this week, according to CNN. “We’re in the position to learn from experience overseas and what actions work, and what actions don’t work.”
Before the most recent cases, New Zealand had fewer than 3,000 COVID-19 cases and only 26 deaths. The country’s population is 5 million, CNN reported.
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Despite those numbers, the country has a low vaccination rate — less than 20% of the population has received a COVID-19 shot.
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