'Go Hard And Early Than Light And Long': New Zealand PM On Snap Lockdown

Coronavirus: New Zealand had been virus-free and living without restrictions until Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered a snap 3-day nationwide lockdown.

New Zealand's city streets were largely deserted on Wednesday as the country returned to life in lockdown for the first time in six months in a bid to halt any spread of the infectious Delta variant of COVID-19. New Zealand had been virus-free and living without restrictions until Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered a snap 3-day nationwide lockdown on Tuesday after a single case, suspected to be Delta, was found in the largest city Auckland. Ardern on Wednesday confirmed the new case was the Delta variant and said there were now 5 confirmed cases in total, all linked to the original infection. One of the new cases is a fully vaccinated nurse from Auckland Hospital.