The island country in the Pacific Ocean and its Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern have been praised in the past by the international media for how the country dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic. New Zeeland was placed in lockdown, the borders were closed for foreigners, and several measures such as the vaccination campaign and closing cities were taken.
However, the Delta strain, which originated in India, continues to cause daily new infections, and yesterday, New Zeeland reported 94 new Covid-19 infections. It seems that Auckland is the region where 87 of the 94 cases were reported.
More than 1.7 million residents of Auckland are under lockdown
The surge in the daily new infections is not good news for Auckland residents who have been under lockdown for a long time and desperately want fewer restrictions. Unfortunately, the New Zeeland Government announced two days ago that the city would remain under strict lockdown for two more weeks. AT the beginning of the month, media outlets pinpointed that the island country would most likely drop its Covid-19 elimination strategy due to the highly infectious Delta variant.
Jacinta Ardern faces criticism for her latest decisions
Following Jacinta Ardern’s latest decision to move Northland to level 2 and keep Auckland in level 3 for two more weeks, Judith Collins, National Party Leader, criticized the Prime Minister. Collins accused Ardern of treating Auckland residents as children because of her lack of precise communication. The politician also criticized Ardern for not visiting the biggest city in New Zeeland in more than ten weeks.
The Delta strain has been causing a surge in new infections worldwide
New Zeeland is not the only country dealing with the highly aggressive and contagious Delta strain. Countries worldwide are trying to promote vaccination campaigns and prevent the collapse of their health systems. In Europe, Romania and Bulgaria have had low vaccination rates, and now the two countries are dealing with impressive numbers of daily Covid-19 cases.