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Restrictions were lifted in New Zealand after the country virtually eliminated the virus
New Zealand has put its largest city back in lockdown after recording four new Covid-19 cases, ending a 102-day streak without a local infection.
A three-day lockdown was quickly imposed in Auckland after the cases were confirmed.
The four new cases are all members of a single family. No one had traveled the last time.
The restrictions will come into effect on Wednesday, as authorities scramble to track down family contacts.
Auckland residents will be asked to stay home, large gatherings will be banned, non-essential businesses will be closed, and some social distancing restrictions will be reintroduced in the rest of the country.
New Zealand has fared better than other countries, recording 1,220 confirmed cases and 22 deaths since the virus arrived in February.
Before Tuesday, New Zealand had gone 102 days without including a locally transferred case of Covid-19, one of the few countries to reach such a milestone.
All 22 active cases of the virus before Tuesday’s announcement were among returning travelers who were quarantined in isolation facilities.
Internationally praised for dealing with the pandemic, the country’s government had lifted almost all of its restrictions on lifting, first imposed in March.
An early lockdown, severe border restrictions, effective health messages and an aggressive test-and-trace program are all credited with effectively eliminating the virus in the country.
But as infections continue to escalate around the world, surpassing 20 million worldwide on Tuesday, New Zealand officials have warned of complaints.
Announcing the announcement, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was necessary to go hard and go early to spread the virus.
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Auckland – a city of about 1.6 million people – would move to level three restrictions of 12:00 local time (01:00 BST) on Wednesday as a “precautionary approach,” she said.
The Prime Minister said the rest of the country would move to level two of New Zealand’s 4-tier alarm system of measures against Covid-19.
“This is something we have prepared for,” Ms Ardern said at a news conference.
“We’ve had 102 days and it was easy to feel like New Zealand was out of the woods. No country has gone as far as we did without resuming. And because we were the only ones, we had to plan. And we have plans, “she said.
Director General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, said at least three days of lockdown in Auckland were needed to track down the source of the new cases.
“We expect to see other cases,” Dr Bloomfield said. “We want to find those other cases as soon as possible and identify or isolate all contacts.”
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Buyers were seen queuing at supermarkets after the lockdown was announced
In anticipation of a pre-lockdown rush to supermarkets, Ms Ardern and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff called for calm, saying there was no need to panic.
Despite their plea, large crowds of copper were seen in supermarkets on Tuesday night as they tried to deliver before the lockdown was over.
One video posted on social media shows customers streaming through the door of a supermarket as a security guard tries to prevent them from entering.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had accused New Zealand as an example to others of having “successfully eliminated community transmission”.
But other countries have had early success in suppressing the virus, only to re-introduce infections after lifting lockdown restrictions that damaged the economy.
Vietnam went 99 days without communication transmission until July, when a 57-year-old man in Da Nang tested positive for the virus.
By the end of July, Da Nang was the epicenter of a new coronavirus outbreak, leading to the first coronavirus death since the pandemic began.
Australia has also seen a revival of Covid-19 in some states, including New South Wales and Victoria, where a strict blockade has been imposed.
