Prognosis

New Zealand Lifts Lockdown Outside Auckland as Outbreak Wanes

  • Ardern says country again within sight of virus elimination
  • Alert Level 2 settings tightened to reflect risks with delta
A near-empty street in Auckland on Aug. 18.Photographer: Brendon O'Hagan/Bloomberg
Lock
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern lifted a nationwide lockdown outside largest city Auckland but said it is too soon to declare victory over a delta coronavirus outbreak.

Three weeks after it went into lockdown, the country will move to Alert Level 2 at midnight Tuesday, allowing people to return to work and school, Ardern told a news conference Monday in Wellington. But Auckland, the epicenter of the outbreak, will remain at Level 4 -- the highest level of restrictions -- for at least one more week, she said.