New Zealand facing alarming rise in Covid-19 cases
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The New Zealand government has reported it's largest rise in COVID,-19 infections in six weeks with the majority of the cases concentrated in Auckland. A lockdown has been enforced in Auckland with residents staying at home in an effort to contain the outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.
In a press conference in Wellington, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said that there was no room for complacency and blamed the spike in cases on 'illegal home gatherings' which circumvented COVID protocols.
Restrictions in Auckland have been raised to level three, meaning residents must stay at home unless they have urgent business outside. The total number of cases has gone up to 71 from 55 a day earlier. 59% of New Zealand's population has been vaccinated with the government having promised to end lockdowns once 90% are inoculated against the virus. A mass immunisation drive will be conducted this Sunday.