New Zealand has become the latest country to abandon a 'zero Covid' strategy, a decision that comes as the delta variant of the virus proved too potent to stop.
New Zealand has become the latest country to abandon a "zero Covid" strategy, a decision that comes as the delta variant of the virus proved too potent to stop.Experts say the highly infectious delta variant makes that tricky.
This zero Covid strategy, also employed by the likes of China and Taiwan, involves strict lockdowns and extensive testing, heavily controlled or closed borders, as well as robust contact tracing systems and quarantine mandates. after a single suspected case of Covid caused by the delta variant — at that time the country's first coronavirus case in six months — was reported in Auckland.
Ardern said it was important that the country maintain strict controls, however, saying it still needed to "contain and control the virus as much as possible, while we make our transition from a place where we only use heavy restrictions to a place where we use vaccines in everyday public health measures.
Victoria Police patrol at St Kilda beach on October 03, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Coronavirus restrictions eased slightly across Melbourne from Monday 28 September as Victoria enters into its second step in the government's roadmap to reopening.Experts are not surprised by the shift in strategy, noting that the spread of the delta variant makes such approaches futile.