New Zealand Locks Down For At Least 3 Days After Single Coronavirus Case (original) (raw)

2021 NEW ZEALAND SHORT COURSE SWIMMING C’SHIPS

The 2021 New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships are over just as soon as they have started, as the nation has been placed under strict coronavirus-related lockdown for at least 3 days.

From Swimming New Zealand:

After the government announced this evening that the whole of New Zealand will go into level 4 lockdown for the next three days from 11:59 pm tonight, we have made the decision to postpone the rest of the 2021 Apollo Projects NZ Short Course Championships from now onwards.

Again, we thank you for your patience. We will communicate regularly over the next few days and update you when we hear more information from the government.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Arden made the decision after the nation reported its first coronavirus case in 6 months. With the case stemming from Auckland, that city, in particular, is facing a 7-day lockdown, whereas the rest of the nation is homebound for 3 days.

According to Reuters, authorities are assuming the patient had contracted the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 although genome sequencing was yet to be completed.

Since the pandemic, New Zealand has seen about 2,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and 26 related deaths. (Reuters)

As for the Championships, this meet was set to represent just one of several qualification opportunities, with swimmers also being able to nab times at any additional FINA-approved meet from October 6, 2020, through August 25th.

Update

According to New Zealand’s Ministry of Health, 10 new cases have been reported during the 24 hours from 10 am ET on August 17 to August 18. There are seven active cases in the community and an additional 32 at the border.

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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