A news alert is displayed on a mobile phone in Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday that authorities have found four cases of the coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, the first cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
By Nick Perry
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday that authorities have found four cases of the coronavirus in one Auckland household from an unknown source, the first reported cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days.
Ardern said Auckland, the nation's largest city, will be moved to Alert Level 3 from midday Wednesday through midnight Friday, meaning that people will be asked to stay at home, while bars and many other businesses will be closed.
"These three days will give us time to assess the situation, gather information, make sure we have widespread contact tracing so we can find out more about how this case arose and make decisions about how to respond to it once we have further information," Ardern said at a hastily called news conference late Tuesday.
"I know that this information will be very difficult to receive," Ardern said. "We had all hoped not to find ourselves in this position again. But we had also prepared for it. And as a team, we have also been here before."
She said that traveling into Auckland will be banned unless people live there and are traveling home.
She said the rest of the country will be raised to Level 2 through Friday, meaning that mass gatherings will be limited to 100 attendees and people would need to socially distance themselves from each other.
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the infections were confirmed after a person in their 50s went to their doctor on Monday with symptoms and was swabbed twice, testing positive both times. Six other people in the person's household were then tested, with three more positive results.
"Importantly, the person has no history of overseas travel," Bloomfield said, adding that the source of the infections remains unknown.
Until Tuesday, the only known cases of the virus in New Zealand were 22 travelers who had recently returned from abroad and were being held in quarantine at the border.
The country has been praised globally for its virus response.
New Zealand initially got rid of the virus by imposing a strict lockdown in late March when only about 100 people had tested positive for the disease. That stopped its spread.
Life had returned to normal for many people in the South Pacific nation of 5 million, as they attended rugby games at packed stadiums and sat down in bars and restaurants without fear of getting infected. But some had warned that the country had become complacent.
New Zealanders have never routinely worn masks, but authorities have been urging people to buy them just in case.
The outbreak comes less than six weeks before New Zealanders are due to go to the polls in a general election.
Move over 'The Real World,' there's a new reality show in town and fans can't get enough. Netflix's new reality show 'Twentysomethings: Austin' follows eight strangers become roommates. Stars Natalie Gable and Keauno Perez join Cheddar News to talk about their experience on the show.
'Unicorn Hunters' gives business owners the potential of reaching a billion-dollar valuation, but before they can get the capital they have to impress the 'Circle of Money.' Rosie Rios, former U.S. Treasurer and co-host of 'Unicorn Hunters,' joins Cheddar News to talk more about the show.
'Spider-Man: No Way Home' is finally in theaters and fans everywhere are very excited. Before you rush to the theaters to see it, we're telling you everything you need to know about the MCU film.
There's a new ETF designed to offer investors exposure to 'meme stocks.' Roundhill Investments launched it earlier this month and says the ETF is the first that is explicitly designed to track the performance of meme stocks. Roundhill Investments Vice President of Research Mario Stefanidis joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Mobile bill payment application Papaya recently raised $50 million in a series B round led by Bessemer Venture Partners.
Papaya lets users take a photo of any bill, and the app's AI-powered 'bill understanding technology' pays the bill in seconds. The company says its goal is to help people spend more time on things that matter, by making bill-paying as painless and quick as possible. Papaya CEO and co-founder Patrick Kann joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
According to the CDC, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. The grim statistic is one of the main reasons why two organizations came together to do something. The Bump and the National Medical Association are partnering to launch The Black Maternal Health hub. The online resource will help expecting mothers feel supported, informed, and empowered throughout pregnancy and the early days of parenting. Jennifer Lee at The Bump and Dr. Rachel Villanueva, a clinical assistant professor of OB/GYN and member of the National Medical Association join Cheddar News to talk about the initiative.
If you're looking for a date, 2022 might be your year. Online dating platform Bumble is buzzing with dating predictions from its latest survey. Shan Boodram, sex and relationships expert at Bumble, joined Cheddar to discuss some of the findings and what people can expect from the future dating landscape. Some of the results showed that public displays of affection are back on the rise as more people get vaccinated and that more users are opting for alcohol-free first dates. She also explained the trend of "explori-dating," a way that users are attempting to get out of their comfort zone. "People are willing to date outside of their city to get to that," she said.
Cheddar is looking back at the 12 biggest buzzwords of the year leading up to Christmas. The seventh term in the countdown is Transitory. Definition: (adjective) of brief gratification, not permanent.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Omorpho Co-Founder explains the innovation driving gravity sportswear; Cool Beans CEO breaks down the science behind 'good mood food;' A look at Curiosity Stream's 'Building The James Webb Telescope.'
