WELLINGTON, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand reported eight new Delta variant cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the country's community outbreak to 1,185.

The new infections were all recorded in the largest city Auckland, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a press conference.

Fourteen community cases are being treated in hospitals, including three in intensive care units (ICUs) or high dependency units (HDUs), Bloomfield said.

There are 1,156 cases that have been clearly epidemiologically linked to another case or sub-cluster, and a further seven cases for which links are yet to be fully established, he said.

Auckland relaxed restrictions by moving to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 on Sept. 22 for at least two weeks. The city was previously at Level 4, the top-level COVID-19 lockdown, for more than 30 days, longer than last year's lockdown, with schools and non-essential businesses closed.

Under Alert Level 3, construction work and takeaway services can resume with necessary safety measures in place, while most students are still encouraged to study at home.

The rest of the country stays at Alert Level 2, under which businesses and schools are back to normal, with mask-wearing being mandatory in certain settings and gatherings limited to 50 people in size.

New Zealand also reported four cases in recent returnees at the border. The cases have remained in quarantine in Auckland and Christchurch.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Zealand since the start of the pandemic stands currently at 3,848, according to the health ministry. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)