New Zealand On Nationwide Three-Day Lockdown After Single COVID-19 Case Was Confirmed

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has put her entire nation on lockdown after a single case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Auckland.

What Happened: According to CNBC, the lockdown begins Wednesday and runs for three days, while Auckland (the country’s largest city) and the coastal town of Coromandel, where the infected person spent time, will be under a seven-day lockdown.

All businesses, offices and schools will be closed and only essential services will be operational.

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Why It Happened: The confirmed case is the first in New Zealand since February. New Zealand, which has mostly closed its international borders since the pandemic began, has recorded 2,500 confirmed COVID cases and 26 related deaths.

In a press conference, Ardern said the new case might be the delta variant, although this hasn't been confirmed.

“The best thing we can do to get out of this as quickly as we can is to go hard,” Ardern said. “We have made the decision on the basis that it is better to start high and go down levels rather than to go low, not contain the virus and see it move quickly.”

What Else Happened: The lockdown announcement has created a rush in New Zealand's supermarkets, with long lines of shoppers vying for quickly dwindling food inventories.

The New Zealand Herald reported the nation's online shopping websites were crashing from the excessive demand and home delivery services have been swamped with orders. Local police departments have increased their presence at supermarkets to ensure order is maintained.