“One coronavirus case. That’s all it took to send New Zealand into a three-day, nationwide lockdown late Tuesday as the country’s six-month streak without local transmission came to an end.” That’s how Washington Post’s correspondent Michael E. Miller opened his story as news broke last night New Zealand was heading into a level 4 lockdown.
It was a angle echoed by other international outlets, all seemingly surprised by the sharp action taken by our government.
“Going hard and early has worked for us before,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the nation last night.
“New Zealand to begin a three-day lockdown after a single case is reported” read the headline from New York Times yesterday.
A CNN headline said this: “New Zealand announces it’s locking down the entire country… over one Covid case”.
NPR wrote that our move into a strict lockdown highlights our “vastly different approach” from “most other nations, which are attempting to suppress [Covid-19’s] spread rather than eliminate it entirely”.
Beyond the headlines, US outlets and the BBC mention New Zealand’s low vaccination rates as key points in their coverage.
NPR put it quite simply, like this: “The country has been struggling to fully vaccinate its people.”
Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield echoed Jacinda Ardern’s warning yesterday and said even with high vaccination rates, the country would still need to have public health measures in place.
While a rush on supermarkets last night made it to both the Washington Post and BBC coverage, albeit a single line. The New York Times’ live blog had a this to say on the topic: “New Zealanders flocked to supermarkets to stock up, leaving toilet paper aisles bare, in scenes reminiscent of the earliest days of the pandemic.”
