New Zealand ends snap virus lockdown in largest city

Wellington - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expresses confidence that the outbreak was contained.

New Zealand lifted a snap Covid-19 lockdown in its largest city Auckland on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressing confidence the outbreak was contained.

The stay-at-home order for the city of almost two million was issued on Sunday after three community cases emerged, the first lockdown in Auckland for almost six months.

Ardern said close contacts of the three cases, all members of the same family, had all since tested negative, with the exception of three people now isolation.

“(It appears) that we don’t have a widespread outbreak, but rather a small chain of transmission which is manageable via our normal contact tracing and testing procedures,” she said.

Ardern said the Auckland lockdown would end late Wednesday, although the city would remain at virus alert level two, which restricts numbers at public gatherings to 100 and requires face masks on public transport.

An exception was people linked to a suburban school attended by three of the positive cases, with students, parents and teachers all required to remain at home.