New Zealand's Delta Outbreak Spreads, Restrictions Back

Parts of New Zealand will be placed under stricter COVID-19 restrictions overnight after three cases were discovered outside of the Auckland area on Sunday, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Photo Insert: Drive-through COVID testing in New Zealand spearheaded by the country's Ministry of Health

Auckland, the country's largest city, has been under restrictions after a single case was detected on August 18. The number of cases in the outbreak has now reached 1,328.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said three cases had been detected outside of Auckland over the weekend, including two in the nearby Waikato region. Areas within that region would now move to stricter restrictions for at least five days, she said.

Businesses would have to move to contactless trade, and education centers would close, although most are already shut due to the school holidays.

Ardern urged New Zealanders to get vaccinated as soon as possible. About 78 percent of the country's eligible population has received their first vaccine dose, with 46 percent fully vaccinated.

"Vaccination makes a difference. It keeps people safe. It also gives us choices."Ardern said it would be "highly unlikely" that restrictions would have been announced if the country's vaccination rate was higher.

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