For a few months, New Zealand had more to dream of than usual. To the gentle pace of life and the landscapes of Lord of the Rings There was also a virtual absence of the coronavirus, which poisons the rest of the planet. The archipelago of 5 million inhabitants has recorded only 27 deaths since the start of the pandemic. New Zealanders have thus enjoyed an almost normal life, admittedly at the cost of very strict border measures.
But following the appearance in August of a case of the Delta variant of the coronavirus in Auckland, containments had to be put in place. The 2 million inhabitants of the country’s largest city have been confined for seven weeks, while the national lockdown was lifted in early September. “Even with the long-term restrictions that we have imposed, we clearly have not reached zero,” lamented Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Easier containment
She announced that she would not immediately abandon her strategy to eliminate the Covid but that the Auckland containment will be relaxed even if the number of new cases does not drop. A possible development thanks to the sharp increase in the number of people vaccinated.
Auckland will remain confined but, every week, the government will study the possibility of lifting certain measures. Residents of the city will be able to gather outdoors in groups of no more than ten as of Wednesday, and measures such as reopening shops and schools will be considered in the coming weeks.