New Zealand delays election after virus outbreak in Auckland

Aug 17, 20200

Mark Mitchell – Associated Press count

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern walks to a press conference in Wellington, New Zealand, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. Authorities have found four cases of the coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, the first reported cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days. The news came as an unpleasant surprise and raised questions about whether the nation's general election would go ahead as planned next month.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has delayed New Zealand's elections by four weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak in Auckland.

The election had been scheduled for Sept. 19 but will now be held on Oct. 17. Opposition parties had sought a delay after the virus outbreak prompted the government last week to put Auckland under a two-week lockdown and halted election campaigning.

Before the latest outbreak, New Zealand had gone 102 days without any known community transmission of the virus, and life had returned to normal for most people, with restaurants and schools open and sports fans back in stadiums. The only known cases during that time were returning travelers who were quarantined at the border.

https://www.startribune.com/new-zealand-delays-election-after-virus-outbreak-in-auckland/572133462/