Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has extended a lockdown in New Zealand's largest city, saying more time was needed to ensure a stubborn cluster of coronavirus infections was under control.
Ms Ardern said stay-at-home orders would remain in place across Auckland until at least Sunday, instead of restrictions easing on Wednesday as originally planned. "These extra four days are believed necessary to allow us to move down a level in Auckland, and stay down," she said. "We want both confidence and certainty for everyone." Auckland went into lockdown on 12 August, a day after the virus reemerged in the city, ending New Zealand's record of 102 days without community transmission.