New Zealand’s COVID-19 strategy slammed as lockdown extends

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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to the media during the COVID-19 update and Cabinet Post press conference at the Beehive Theatrette on August 23, 2021 in Wellington, New Zealand.

ROBERT KITCHIN / Getty Images

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern extended the lockdown of the New Zealand coronavirus on Monday, saying the current outbreak has not reached its peak, as critics mount on its strategy to eliminate COVID-19 amid the slow deployment of its vaccination program.

Ardern garnered praise around the world for eradicating COVID-19 from New Zealand last year and the country had been virus-free since February. But an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus last week when few people were vaccinated called into question the approach of instant lockdowns and border restrictions that have shrunk the economy.

Ardern has extended the strict national level 4 lockdown by three days until midnight on August 27 while its largest city Auckland, the epicenter of the current outbreak, will have restrictions in place until at least August 31.

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We don’t think we’ve reached the peak of this outbreak yet, or necessarily the edge of it, Ardern said at a press conference in the capital Wellington.

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That means the safest options for all of us right now are to hold the course longer, she added.

The highly transmissible Delta variant broke through New Zealand last week and spread rapidly, with cases surpassing 100 on Monday after a case was first reported on August 17, when an instant lockdown of three days has been announced.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand suspended interest rate hikes last week following the outbreak and the lockdown. Banks chief economist said on Monday that the outbreak had not yet been a game-changer, but was causing some economic uncertainty.

While around 80% of New Zealand’s 5.1 million have yet to be fully immunized, Ardern, the leader of the Labor Party which holds a majority in parliament, has chosen to quickly lock down the entire country, putting angry many of his detractors.

New Zealand was unprepared for Delta’s arrival because Labor failed to show the urgency of the vaccinations the Kiwis deserve, National Opposition Party leader Judith Collins said in a statement Monday, adding that many frontline workers were still not vaccinated.

The national media which had been largely supportive of Arderns’ success also turned against her.

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Bryce Edwards, political analyst in residence at Victoria University of Wellington, said the Arderns government is judged differently in its COVID-19 response in 2021 compared to 2020.

This time around, people are much more skeptical of how the government has handled all of the COVID-related issues, especially the vaccine rollout which is deemed too slow, he said.

Ardern defended his strategy on Monday.

So far everyone agrees … elimination is the strategy. There is no discussion or debate between us about this because it is the safest option for us as we continue to vaccinate our people, Ardern said.

But, she did not rule out that New Zealanders ultimately have to live with the virus.

As we approach next year, let’s continue to get their (expert) advice. But I would say that has always been our approach … constantly learning, constantly adapting, she says.

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In neighboring Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is also under increasing pressure for increasing COVID-19 cases and low vaccination rates, said this week the country will need to start learning to live with the virus.

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