Covid-19: NZ's no community transmission streak ends

New Zealand's 102 day no Covid-19 community transmission streak made it the envy of nearly every other country on Earth. That run has come to a screeching halt, and at midday Auckland will enter Alert Level 3 restrictions until midnight Friday, after four cases of community transmission of Covid-19 were confirmed. At the same time, the rest of the country will be operating under Alert Level 2. At a late-night press conference yesterday, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the first case came from a person who was swabbed when they went to their doctor on Monday with symptoms, and has now had two positive tests. The person, and their three infected family members, have no history of overseas travel and have not been in known contact with anyone at a managed isolation centre or at the border. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged New Zealanders not to be too disheartened by the news.