New Zealand extends Covid lockdown as cases of Delta variant continue to rise

New Zealand extended its strict nationwide Covid lockdown on Monday, saying the current outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus had yet to peak.

The level four national lockdown was extended by three days until midnight on August 27 while Auckland, the epicentre of the outbreak, will have restrictions in place until at least August 31.

“The safest option for all of us right now is to hold the course for longer,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference.

“If the world has taught us anything it is to be cautious with this variant of Covid,” she added.

Ms Ardern said contacts in the community of people infected with the Delta variant had been reported all over the country.

There are more than 320 locations of interest linked to the outbreak and 13,000 contacts have been recorded, far more than in previous outbreaks.

“Delta has changed the rules of the game,” Ms Ardern said.

New Zealand, earlier in the day, reported 35 new cases of coronavirus, taking the total number of infections in the outbreak to 107.

The health ministry said in a statement that 33 new cases are in Auckland and two are in the capital, Wellington.

By contrast, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said on Monday his country “must start to learn to live with Covid” when higher vaccination targets are reached.

His comments came despite concerns in some states about the impact of a surge in cases in Sydney.

With more than half of all Australians stuck in weeks-long lockdowns to curb the highly infectious Delta strain, Morrison said the country had to move forward and start reducing restrictions as more people became vaccinated.

“[Lockdowns] cannot go on forever. This is not a sustainable way to live in this country,” he said during a televised media conference in Canberra.

“Because if not at 70 per cent and 80 per cent [vaccination rates], then when? Then when?

“We must make that move and we must prepare to make that move and we must prepare the country to make that move.”

The federal government last month unveiled a four-stage plan to relax restrictions once 70 per cent of its 25 million people aged over-16 are vaccinated, with stringent lockdowns “unlikely” to be required.

When vaccination coverage reaches 80 per cent only “highly targeted lockdowns” would be necessary and vaccinated Australians would be free to travel interstate.

On Monday, New South Wales reported 818 cases, most of them in Sydney, slightly down from the record 830 a day earlier.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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