Just over 24 hours before New Zealand is due to enter full lockdown, 40 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed, bring the country’s total to 155.
Four of the cases were confirmed as contracted through community transmission and six people were in hospital, but none in intensive care, said the director general of health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
The increase in cases came as New Zealand prepared to enter a month-long lockdown and panic buying occurred across the country. Following the prime minister’s announcement on Monday New Zealanders bought enough food to feed 10 million people, the Countdown supermarket said, despite being a nation of fewer than 5 million.
Police were called in to break up fights at supermarkets, despite the prime minister repeatedly calling for “kindness” and calm. Long lines formed outside gun and hunting shops, with some New Zealanders – even in urban areas – appearing to stockpile weapons and ammunition.
New Zealand: coronavirus cases rise nearly 50% in one day as lockdown nears | World news | The Guardian