Two of the three new Covid-19 cases that have locked up the city of Auckland in New Zealand have been confirmed to be a variant of the virus first detected in the UK.
The three local Covid-19 cases announced on Sunday are a mother, father and daughter from the same household in South Auckland, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, director general of health, said at a news conference on Sunday. Premier Jacinda Ardern said one of the trio was working in a facility that was the laundry for airlines.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told CNN authorities that the employment of the individual could possibly be related to the virus.
Those cases led authorities to carry out a three-day closure period for the whole of Auckland, a city of about 1.5 million people and the country’s largest population center, which closes Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
“We were dealing with more transmissible versions, mutations of Covid-19. We want to be very careful. That’s why we followed this very cautious approach,” Ardern said. “What we want people to do is stay home. So if you’re in Auckland for the next 72 hours, stay home.”
Goff said New Zealand has found success with the virus when authorities ‘go strong and go early’.
“The government has made the decision and consulted with us in Auckland that we should respond in the same way this time,” he said. “After a wonderful weekend of watching the America’s Cup yacht races, and people enjoying the sunshine and the beaches and the parks and at the festivities, we are suddenly in an exclusion of 72 hours.”
Goff said 6,000 to 7,000 people will now be tested for the virus, and if the tests come back clean, the authorities could lift the new stringent measures.
No new cases were reported Monday, the country’s health ministry said in a statement.