#15,418
By just about any standard, New Zealand has done an enviable job in controlling COVID-19. They have not only kept their total number of cases (domestic and imported) to just over 1,630 (and deaths to 22), until a week ago, they'd recently gone a remarkable 102 consecutive days without a locally acquired infection.
Last Tuesday (see New Zealand Reports 1st Domestic Cluster Of COVID-19 in Over 100 Days) - in response to their first local cluster in over 3 months - Auckland was ordered into a 72-hour level 3 lockdown to allow contact tracing and testing to be ramped up, while the rest of the country was go to go to level 2.
Both lockdowns have since been extended to August 26th, and the most recent update (Aug 17th) finds that a smattering of new cases continues to emerge in New Zealand.
9 new cases of COVID-19
Media release
17 August 2020
There are nine new confirmed cases of COVID-19 to report in the community today.
There are no new cases to report at the border.
Seven of the new cases are linked to previous cases in the cluster, and two cases remain under investigation but are strongly believed to be linked to the same cluster.
There are now a total of four cases under investigation.
As of 6 pm last night, 86 people linked to the cluster have been moved into quarantine facility, made up of 36 people who have tested positive and their household contacts.
There are five people receiving hospital-level care for COVID-19. Two are in Auckland City Hospital on a ward, and three people are in Middlemore.
The nine new confirmed cases to report today bring our total number of confirmed cases to 1,280 which is the number we report to the World Health Organization.
The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 78, of which 58 are from the recent community outbreak, and 20 are imported cases in managed isolation and quarantine facilities.
Although daily case counts remain very low, New Zealand would like very much to get back to zero, and has decided that the national elections - originally scheduled for September 19th - will be pushed back 4 weeks to October 17th.
17 AUGUST 2020
Election to be held on 17 October
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed the General Election will be held on 17 October.
“The Electoral Commission, via the Ministry of Justice, has advised me that a safe and accessible election is achievable on this date. This short delay gives the Commission more time to prepare including freeing up facilities for early voting during school holidays,” Jacinda Ardern said.
“Moving the date by four weeks also gives all parties a fair shot to campaign and delivers New Zealanders certainty without unnecessarily long delays.
“With the re-emergence of Covid-19 in our community these are not ordinary times and so while the decision as to the election date sits with me, I spoke with all party leaders to seek their views.
“Covid will be with us for some time to come. Continuously pushing out an election does not lessen the risk of disruption and this is why the Electoral Commission has planned for the possibility of holding an election where the country is at Level 2, and with some parts at Level 3.
“I will not change the election date again.
“This decision gives all parties time over the next nine weeks to campaign and the Electoral Commission enough time to ensure an election can go ahead,” Jacinda Ardern said.
Key dates
- Today: Business committee meets this afternoon to agree a parliament timetable
- 6 September: Parliament dissolves
- 13 September: Writ Day, nominations close 18 September
- 3 October: Advance voting begins, last day for return of the writ is 12 November
- 17 October: Election day
