It continues.
New Zealand extended its national confinement this Friday until August 31 to curb the spread of Covid-19 cases linked to the Delta variant.
This measure will even remain in force longer in Auckland, the epicenter of the epidemic.
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New Zealand is re-fining after a Covid-19 case linked to the epidemic in Australia
A first case of this much more contagious variant was discovered in Auckland, the large city of the North Island, last week, ending six months without local contamination.
This infection has given rise to the largest epidemic focus in the country since the start of the pandemic, with a total of 347 cases, including 70 recorded on Friday.
As of August 17 - and the first case - a national containment had been put in place.
Two more weeks for Auckland
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there were signs that the epidemic would peak soon if the lockdown remained in place.
"We should soon reach a plateau in terms of the number of cases," she said.
"We have to keep working hard in order to flex and then flatten the (infection) curve."
She said Auckland, where all but 14 cases have been identified, and the neighboring region of Northland, will need to be contained for at least two more weeks.
Read also Covid-19: why New Zealand is re-fining itself after a single case of contamination
The archipelago intends to pursue its “zero Covid” strategy, while the spread of the Delta variant, which is much more contagious, is undermining the effectiveness of a policy which has hitherto been successful.
Jacinda Ardern said police roadblocks will be erected to prevent movement between Auckland, Northland province and the rest of the country.
To date, only 26 people have died of Covid-19 out of five million inhabitants, thanks to a strict border closure as well as confinements and an intense tracing policy as soon as new cases appear.