New Zealand ends lockdown in Auckland. Introduces covid semaphore – SME.sk

WELLINGTON. The New Zealand government will end the lockdown in Auckland’s most populous city on December 3.

Anti-pandemic measures will be newly introduced in accordance with the so-called covid traffic light, which categorizes individual areas into red, orange or green categories depending on the development of the epidemic situation.

This is stated in Monday’s statement by the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, from which the Reuters agency quoted.

Related article

Related article The EU will recognize Covid passports with other European countries and New Zealand Read

Auckland has become an epicenter

In Auckland, a strict lockdown lasted more than 90 days. However, some measures have been relaxed there in recent weeks. “The harsh truth is that delta (variant) is here and will not leave.

However, in New Zealand, we are well prepared to deal with this situation. This is due to the high vaccination rate and new measures, including the covid traffic light and the so-called green passport, “Ardern said.

She added that Auckland, which has become the epicenter of the spread of the delta variant, will be in red from the beginning of the traffic light.

According to Reuters, about 83 percent of New Zealanders over the age of 12 are currently fully vaccinated, according to Ardern. However, this number may increase to 88 percent if the second dose vaccines will be given to all who are waiting for her.

The government has previously said that the country will loosen restrictions and move to a new covid traffic light system only after 90 percent of the population over the age of 12 has been fully vaccinated.

The first cases were recorded in August

New Zealand was one of the few countries in the world that managed to reduce the number of cases last year – in the first phase of the pandemic. coronavirus to zero, also thanks to strict restrictions on international travel.

The island country was without a single case of infection for several months, until a new highly contagious variant of the delta began to spread in Auckland in mid-August.

To date, 39 deaths and approximately 7,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in New Zealand. The country’s borders remain closed to foreign arrivals, Reuters recalls.

All about coronavirus and COVID-19