New Zealand locks down Auckland after three coronavirus cases discovered

New Zealander Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has ordered Auckland, the nation's largest city, into lockdown again after the discovery of three coronavirus cases in the city, BBC News reports.

A mother, father, and their daughter who had not recently left the country all tested positive for the virus on Sunday with authorities suspecting that the mother acquired it from her work doing laundry for an airport catering facility "because of its obvious connections to the border."

Arguing that New Zealand must act "hard and early" to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country once again, Arden issued a lockdown order to last three days.

According to Arden, locking down the city for three days would allow the government time to detect community transmission.

The 1.7 million residents of Auckland will be required to remain at home except for essential purposes. Businesses and institutions considered non-essential, such as schools, must close in the mean time. New Zealanders are also restricted from travelling in and out of the city.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff expressed support for the measures, saying "new cases of Covid-19 in the community was something none of us wanted to happen." He further suggested that locking down the city is the "best way to stamp out the virus."

Opposition leader Judith Collins, while supporting the measures, expressed frustration that coronavirus managed to reenter New Zealand. "If this proves to be another border failure that is unacceptable. Our border should be rock-solid by now."

New Zealand implemented strict lockdown measures in response to the coronavirus, leading to the country having a very low number of cases and eventually being allowed to reopen.

The country has reported just over 2,300 cases of coronavirus out of a population of nearly five million since the beginning of the pandemic. 25 people have died of the virus in the country.