New Zealand's largest city resumes strict lockdown after detection of COVID-19 cases

WELLINGTON - New Zealand's largest city Auckland resumed COVID-19 Alert Level 3 on Wednesday for three days, with the rest of the country going to Level 2 after four cases of community transmission were confirmed on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference that no new positive tests were related to the four confirmed community cases.

After 102 days without community transmission in the country, New Zealand announced the four local transmissions that were acquired from an unknown source. They were the first cases outside of managed isolation after the country announced initial success in controlling the virus.

The cases were within one family living in South Auckland. The family has no history of international travels.

Six family members who reside in the same household have been tested, with three of them returning positive results and three returning negative, said Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield, adding the two workplaces related to one of the four cases were closed.

The cases were not linked to foreign travelers or frontline people working at the border, Ardern said, calling on New Zealanders to be "precautionary."

"These three days will give us time to assess the situation, gather information, make sure we have widespread contact tracing," Ardern said.