New Zealand's Level 4 National Lockdown Extends, Prime Minister Ardern: The Delta Variant Changes The Rules Of The Game

Illustration of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in New Zealand. (Wikimedia Commons/Tom Ackroyd)

JAKARTA - New Zealand authorities have decided the country will remain in a COVID-19 lockdown, at least until midnight Friday, the New Zealand Herald Herald reported without providing a source of information.

Auckland, which is the epicenter of the latest Delta variant of the COVID-19 outbreak, may be under a longer lockdown, the report said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday extended New Zealand's strict nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, saying the outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus had not peaked.

The level 4 national lockdown was extended by three days until midnight on August 27, while Auckland, the epicenter of the outbreak, will impose restrictions until at least August 31.

"The safest option for all of us right now is to keep the course longer", Ardern said at a news conference.

"If the world has taught us anything, be careful with this variant of COVID-19", added Prime Minister Ardern.

She further explained that contact in the community by people infected with the Delta variant was reported across the country. There are more than 320 locations of interest linked to the outbreak and 13.000 contacts have been recorded, far more than any previous outbreak.

"The Delta variant has changed the rules of the game", said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The day before, New Zealand reported 35 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the total number of infections in the outbreak to 107.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said in a statement that 33 new cases were in Auckland and two in the capital Wellington.

Last week, PM Ardern urged New Zealanders to adhere to her strategy of eradicating the fast-spreading Delta variant as she extended a strict lockdown amid a spike in infections.

"We've been here before. We know the elimination strategy works. Cases increase and then decrease until we don't have them. It's tried and true, we just have to hold on", said PM Ardern.