New Zealand prolongs COVID-19 lockdown

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Friday that the nationwide lockdown will be extended until August 24, while Auckland could see it prolonged even longer.

“We are still waiting on a large number of tests to be returned which will help us know the extent of this outbreak,” Ardern said but added the country is “in a reasonable position for this stage of the outbreak.” However, she warned that “this tells us we need to continue to be cautious, and that we need more time before we have the complete picture.”