Foreign Property News | Posted by Shwe Zin Win
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced early Monday that the country’s general election will be delayed until October, citing concerns over a resurgent coronavirus.
The postponement of the September 19 election until October 17 comes despite New Zealand being one of the most successful countries to curb the pandemic.
Ardern insisted she would not move the election date again.
The country had gone 102 days without infections spreading in the community until early last week when a cluster was discovered in Auckland. The outbreak has since grown to 30 people and extended beyond the city. The only known cases were travelers quarantined after arriving from abroad.
On Friday, the government extended a lockdown of Auckland for another 12 days as it tries once again to stamp out the virus.
As of Monday, New Zealand has 69 active cases with 13 new infections announced Sunday, Australia’s ABC reported.
All of the new cases in the outbreak appear to be linked through family or work connections. The only known infections outside Auckland are two people in the central North Island town of Tokoroa who were visited by infected family members from Auckland.
Per New Zealand law, the prime minister can delay an election by up to about two months. Opinion polls indicate Ardern's Labour Party is favored to win a second term.
Ref: foxnews
