New Zealand extends virus lockdown; Australia eyes vaccines

By NICK PERRY and ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government says it’s extending a strict nationwide lockdown until at least Friday as it tries to extinguish a growing coronavirus outbreak. The news came as health authorities reported 35 new local infections of the fast-spreading delta variant, the highest number of COVID-19 cases in New Zealand since April last year. Meanwhile, in neighboring Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says lockdowns are not a sustainable way to live. He says states must open their borders once vaccination rates reach 80% of the population aged 16 years and older.