The UK variant was found in Auckland for the first time.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister placed Auckland, the largest city in the country, on a three-day hard lockdown after the UK variant was found in a few cases for the first time. Almost two million citizens will have to stay home from today as schools and non-essential businesses are barred from opening. The new variant was found in three cases, all originating from one family. The swift decision to lock the country down, however, is to avoid a sudden spread of the new variant. New Zealand has received praise for how it has handled the COVID-19 pandemic thus far