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Bloomberg
New Zealand’s world-beating run of being Covid-free has come to an end, with the detection of new cases prompting the government to put largest city Auckland into lockdown.
Authorities have detected four cases of coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, and contact tracing is now underway to prevent further spread, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said late on Tuesday. New Zealand had recorded 102 days of no community transmission, with its only cases quarantined at the border.
“No other country in the world was free of community transmission as long as New Zealand,†Ardern said.
New Zealand’s economy rebounded faster than expected from a nationwide lockdown
in April and May, with
confidence boosted by its Covid-free status. Elimination of the virus fanned support for Ardern’s Labour Party ahead of September 19 general election.
The news means “there are almost certainly other active cases of Covid-19 present in Auckland at the moment,†said Shaun Hendy, a professor at University of Auckland.