New Zealand’s Auckland will continue to lockdown for two more weeks due to the Delta variant of Covid-19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared. She said that there would be no changes to social barriers. “Any relief in restrictions will not work our plan of on reducing cases while we increase vaccinations. But the thing that will make a difference is that every citizen of New Zealand continues to follow restrictions,” Ardern said in a news conference.

• Government Plans Deep-Sea Mission with Human Crew by Early 2026: Jitendra Singh
• IRCTC Website and App Down: Train Ticket Booking Hit by Major Outage
• World Bank Increases China’s GDP Forecast for 2024, 2025
• Nirmala Sitharaman Meets Trade Experts Ahead of Budget
• Indian Cricketer Invests in Tech Startup

The lockdown in the city of 1.7 million people started in mid-August to prevent the Covid-19 outbreak. Some restrictions were lifted to let people leave home and meet loved ones outdoors in groups limited to 10. But schools, businesses and offices will be shut, and gatherings indoors are not allowed. New Zealand’s infections in the current outbreak increased to 2,005 with 60 new cases, having 57 in Auckland and 3 in the Waikato region.