New Zealand ‘over the peak’ of coronavirus, prime minister says

New Zealand is “over the peak” of its coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday, as health authorities reported that four people had died of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, the deadliest day to date.

Ardern told a press conference the deaths were a “sad and sobering reminder” to stay the course and remain in lockdown.

“We are successfully over the peak but that is not the same thing as being out of the woods.”

She said the country was currently in the “most challenging week” of its month-long lockdown.

Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said that the latest deaths bring New Zealand’s total death toll to nine.

“It is a sobering reminder of what is at stake here,” he said.

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Three of the four new deaths were linked to an aged-care facility in the city of Christchurch, while the fourth was in a Wellington hospital.

Six of New Zealand’s deaths were from the Christchurch aged-care facility. 

Bloomfield said overall there had been 17 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 1,366. (dpa)