bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agencies

New Zealand announced on Sunday one new case of Covid-19 after three weeks with no known community transmission.
The country had previously declared itself Covid-19-free on October 8, after a second outbreak of the virus was contained.
At a hastily arranged weekend press conference, director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said the case involved a man who worked at Ports of Auckland and Taranaki and was being tested regularly.
The case had been caught early and the risk was contained, Bloomfield said.
“Because the person was tested on the day he was developing symptoms, the ministry of health was able to self-isolate close contacts, which is a good reminder to the rest of New Zealanders for best practice.”
At this point, officials had not been able to establish where the case had come from.
Bloomfield said the case was another reminder that Covid-19 was not going away any time soon.
“I know that the re-emergence of a case outside managed isolation may be unsettling for some people. We need to remain vigilant.”


The country also reported two imported cases of Covid-19, taking the country’s total to 1,530 cases, with 42 active cases.
The announcement came a day after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party won a landslide election victory, with her government’s handling of the pandemic widely credited as a factor.


Ahead of the vote, Ardern – whose party won 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament – had dubbed it “the Covid election”.
She campaigned on her government’s success in eliminating community transmission of the virus, which has caused just 25 deaths in a population of five million.
Coronavirus vaccine race: where are we and how far?
Meanwhile in Australia, the state at the epicentre of the country’s Covid-19 outbreak announced an easing of restrictions on Sunday, but left key sectors of the economy closed until next month to ensure community transmission is further curbed.
From midnight, the 5 million residents of Victoria state capital Melbourne, who have been under lockdown for more than 100 days, will be allowed to travel as far as 25km (16 miles) from their homes and time limits on daily exercise would be scrapped, state Premier Daniel Andrews said.
From November 1, the stay-at-home order will be completely lifted and retail and hospitality sectors will largely reopen. That time frame may be brought forward if case numbers continue to fall.


As the US, UK and many European countries contend with a second wave, Victoria’s lockdown has demonstrated the effectiveness of tight controls. Case numbers have plunged from a daily peak of 687 on August 4, with new infections slowing to a trickle.
But the state premier has come under sustained pressure to ease restrictions, with the federal government saying the lockdown has risked people’s mental health and weighed on the national economy. Victoria is responsible for about a quarter of gross domestic product and the restrictions have deepened Australia’s first recession in almost 30 years.
Millions face fresh coronavirus curbs as Europe battles soaring infections
Much of the nation has crushed community transmission, as states such as Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania restrict entry to people from virus hotspots. The international border remains closed to non-residents, other than a limited travel bubble with New Zealand, and those returning from overseas must undergo 14 days of quarantine in hotels or other government-run facilities.
DPA, Bloomberg and Agence France-Presse


Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotels sees ‘bleisure’ boom after pandemic curbs, CEO says

US could require US$15,000 bonds for some tourist, business visas

China’s Shenzhen, Guangzhou airports hit record highs, surpass pre-Covid passenger levels

Landmark US Chinatown survived Covid, anti-Asian violence – but tariffs pose new threat

Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus: New Zealand loses Covid-free status again; Australian state eases restrictions

Australia’s border rules were relaxed last week, allowing travellers from New Zealand to visit New South Wales without having to quarantine. Photo: AFP

Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party sweeps New Zealand election

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo: DPA

Clarke Gayford greets New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after election victory during the New Zealand Labour party election night event in Auckland, Saturday, October 17, 2020. (AAP Image/David Rowland) NO ARCHIVING

Labour party supporters react as they await Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern to arrive as they watch the results come for New Zealand's general election in Auckland on October 16, 2020. (Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY / AFP)

epa08752190 New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at the New Zealand Labour party election night event in Auckland, New Zealand, 17 October 2020. Jacinda Ardern has won a second term in New Zealand's general election. EPA-EFE/DAVID ROWLAND AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT

Coronavirus vaccine race: where are we and how far?

Recent cases in which recovered Covid-19 patients were infected a second time with a new strain also raise the question of how long vaccines might last. Photo: Reuters

News

Asia

Australasia

Coronavirus


New Zealand case comes day after PM Jacinda Ardern won a landslide victory in ‘Covid election’
State at epicentre of Australia’s Covid-19 outbreak announces an easing of restrictions



New Zealand confirmed a new community case of Covid-19, two weeks after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared the nation had ‘beat the virus again’.


Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

New Zealand

Australia

Coronavirus: New Zealand loses Covid-free status again; Australian state eases restrictions

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} New Zealand case comes day after PM Jacinda Ardern won a landslide victory in ‘Covid election’ State at epicentre of Australia’s Covid-19 outbreak announces an easing of restrictions

New Zealand case comes day after PM Jacinda Ardern won a landslide victory in ‘Covid election’

State at epicentre of Australia’s Covid-19 outbreak announces an easing of restrictions