New Zealand Locks Down For At Least 3 Days After Single Coronavirus Case

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.

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Chlorinetherapy
3 years ago

There is no way we will be out of lockdown in 3 days – more like 3 weeks and likely much longer for Auckland. We have poor vaccination rollout and there have been many failures in processes including border control.

Rafael
3 years ago

Some people are saying it is impossible to control covid with Huge density/population should look at vietnam if they dont went to look at China

Corn Pop
3 years ago

Hullo it is now 6 cases.

Coach
3 years ago

I’m from Nz, we’re all pretty happy with how we’re handling it and the lockdowns.
I know all you muricans needs your freedoms but this is actually the fastest way to get them.
We got the most freedom during 2020 because we sucked it up and locked down for a few weeks. And 26 people died total.

AAAA
Reply to  Coach
3 years ago

I would argue agreeing to a full lockdown for any reason is the fastest way to lose your freedoms…

Coach
Reply to  AAAA
3 years ago

I know
And that’s why you still need to wear masks, social distance, have overrun hospitals and 600,000 dead
And we have normal life and no cases for 6 months
Doesn’t take a genius to figure out which is best in the long run

AAAA
Reply to  Coach
3 years ago

Let’s wait a few years before we judge anything over the long run.

You’re also comparing a tiny island of 5 million who closed its borders to a wide open country of 330 M who actually opened its borders. Reducing the argument to a lockdown vs. non-lockdown to say your way is better ignores the complexity of the situation and fails to consider how other elements in each country might have affected the outcome in each.

And my point still stands that agreeing to lock down is the quickest way to lose your freedoms, no matter the reason.

Admin
Reply to  AAAA
3 years ago

This is about New Zealand though. Your argument seems to be “New Zealand’s approach wouldn’t work for America, so NZ’s use of this approach is a moral failing.”

AAAA
Reply to  Braden Keith
3 years ago

I think you’re putting words in my mouth Braden. I’m responding to the idea that Americans using New Zealand’s approach would be optimal for the US. New Zealand can do what they want, and I am not in a position to say they are definitely right or wrong. I’m saying don’t say their approach would be successful if universally applied to all countries.

And it could be a moral failing, or it could be a massive success. We have a long way to go before we know. This pandemic is far from over.

Coach
Reply to  AAAA
3 years ago

One of the other big things NZ did which helped with our response, was our messaging, every day the Prime Minister and Director of Health hold a press conference at 1pm to give the public clear direct information about what’s going on, why it’s happening, what the goals are.
No politics, no misinformation
The PR campaign for it is the same. Clear facts, no politics
Everyone buys in because it makes sense and we want to protect our country
Not the us vs them that you guys

The main reason our response couldn’t work in the US is because you have no sense of collectivism which is weird because you’re always going on about loving… Read more »

alex
3 years ago

god i love new zealand. and their citizens probably *actually* lockdown, with the help and support of their government of course. maybe one day the states will be on that level. we can only hope!

Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

Where’s that herd immunity guy that kept posting here and was a Scott Atlas fan? Something like hiswimmer. Glad he’s gone.

Corn Pop
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

I think Hawaii is ok .At least USA Olympic Swim team thought so . Thus Hiswimmer was not altogether wrong . Nobody in the world is altogether right or wrong on Covid .

Its maybe something like Afghanistan . 20 years preparing for the inevitable & the West is still frickin ignorant as a stick.

Not Tapered 🏊
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

Scott Atlas is at least a Dr. compared to this expert panel we have here in the comments. 🤣

Ava
3 years ago

Why has New Zealand not had a single covid case in 6 months? This is why.

AAAA
Reply to  Ava
3 years ago

I’m just saying if I lived in New Zealand and had Covid symptoms I would NOT get tested if I knew the entire county would lock down if I came back positive.

And New Zealand is an isolated island of five million people. Most countries are NOT. This is important when considering NZ success vs others.

Ava
Reply to  AAAA
3 years ago

That’s a fair point. However, if ONE person in NZ tested positive and they locked the entire country down for a few days that’s helpful towards reducing the spread.

Ava
Reply to  Ava
3 years ago

And to add, if I were in NZ, I would much rather lock down for 3 days than have full hospitals with people dying because of this virus. That’s just me.

Coach
Reply to  AAAA
3 years ago

We have a better attitude than that, caring about our fellow countrymen etc.
Do your part for the team

AAAA
Reply to  Coach
3 years ago

Serious question. How many of you team players advocating for lockdowns to help your fellow countrymen text / use your phone while you drive? How many of you support the fast food industry? Because heart disease is still killing more people than Covid and if we truly want to work together as a “team” to stop people from dying then we should do just that. If we want to work together to stop people from only dying of Covid well that doesn’t make much sense to me.

I think many people are wary of handing over their sovereignty to the government because it’s never gone well in the history of civilization and I think it’s fair to question whether… Read more »

Samesame
Reply to  AAAA
3 years ago

I’m Australian. I don’t eat fast food. Don’t text when driving. Happy with short sharp lockdowns. Stay safe.

Coach
Reply to  AAAA
3 years ago

We do lots of things to help our country,
Banned plastic bags
Moving towards banning all single use plastics
We do have a serious issue with bad eating habits and thats another public health campaign

America should absolutely do the same. Don’t eat fast food, drive the speed limit, don’t text and drive, be kind to each other

We don’t have that issue in NZ, we aren’t a communist country. The government decided it was in our best interests to stop the spread of covid so we did. And we’re grateful for it
Nz overwhelming reelected the Prime Minister last year off the back of her covid response

cmon speedo
3 years ago

1 case, whole country lockdown for 3 days. Is this a joke?

Hmm
Reply to  cmon speedo
3 years ago

Dictators gonna dicate.

Mr Piano
Reply to  cmon speedo
3 years ago

No, the coronavirus is not a joke. This is why New Zealand has lead the world on how to handle Covid.

M Palota
Reply to  Mr Piano
3 years ago

Maybe. But maybe not.

COVID-19 is, probably, endemic. Means it’s never going away. It’s going to circulate around the world forever – or at least a very long time – now.

And the vaccines – the present ones, anyway – don’t offer sterilizing immunity. They are fantastic, magnificent triumphs of science and they will change the way all medicine is practiced from now on but they don’t stop the transmission of the virus. Not completely. They slow transmission, though. A lot and they prevent severe sickness and death. They are our best way to manage the pandemic, without question. (Go get jabbed if you haven’t already.)

The challenge NZ has is that they can’t – you’d think –… Read more »

Joel
Reply to  M Palota
3 years ago

Problem is vaccines have been hard to get in NZ and Australia. And USA wouldn’t send over their surplus Pfizer. Hopefully they sent them to another country that needed them.

Corn Pop
Reply to  M Palota
3 years ago

There is a very good Chimp Adenovirus vaccine. These people thus vaccinated are going to take over the world . Planet of the Apes is the future !

Chineeese boy
Reply to  cmon speedo
3 years ago

The whole covid hysteria is the joke

Margalis Stan
Reply to  Chineeese boy
3 years ago

It’s not hysteria and it’s not funny. People are dying because of some of us have been irresponsible about this. What we are going through is not a joke, this is real life. I get that some people want more freedom than others, but the quicker you play your part, the quicker we can get this over with.

torchbearer
Reply to  Chineeese boy
3 years ago

Yeah, 600,000 US deaths are a joke?

R.b.
Reply to  cmon speedo
3 years ago

No lockdown should occur. At all. with 1 case, they have to be really , joking…and really , the government must be sick. ….., to do this.

Coach
Reply to  R.b.
3 years ago

Why?
Let it loose and we’ll be getting 10s 100s 1000s a day like the US, lock it down at the start, reap the benefits in a few days
Less sick, less dead
Sounds better than any other countries plan

Margalis Stan
Reply to  R.b.
3 years ago

New Zealand didn’t have many cases to start with, so when there is a case, people start to go in a panic. The US can’t do that because they have so many cases that they know it’s gonna spread no matter what, but they place protocols to keep it to a minimum. So it’s two very different perspectives here.

Coach
Reply to  Margalis Stan
3 years ago

Theres a reason we didn’t have many cases ever. It’s because we took early action to stop the spread.
It’s not rocket science

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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