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New Zealand is no longer coronavirus free. After 102 days without a positive test, the country has confirmed four cases of COVID-19 from a single household. Because of the positive tests, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that Auckland will be returning to stage three restrictions for the remainder of the week.
“I know this information will be difficult to receive,” she said. “We had all hoped not to find ourselves in this position again but we had also prepared for it.”
Auckland will also require face masks or coverings when using essential services.
While the new positive tests have not been linked to overseas travel, there is no exact word on where the positive cases stemmed from. Regardless, the family members who tested positive have gone into self-isolation.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 5 million confirmed cases and 163,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
