New Zealand, August 17: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delayed the country's parliamentary election by four weeks to October 17 after the reemergence of coronavirus cases in the country last week. The general election was due to take place on September 19, with Parliament rising on August 6 and campaigning had already begun before the lockdowns were introduced.

Earlier this week, the country's largest city went back into lockdown. Restrictions were imposed on Auckland after a number of new infections were identified in the city. Nine new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Monday, bringing the number of active cases linked to the Auckland cluster to 58. New Zealand to End Social Distancing After Zero Active COVID-19 Cases Reported.

New Zealand introduced strict level three lockdown measures on August 12.

The rest of the country was also put into level two lockdown, with both lockdown periods extended until at least August 26, according to a CNN report.

New Zealand PM Delays Country's Parliamentary Election by 4 Weeks to October 17: 

The announcement of fresh cases has shocked the country, which had recorded no locally transmitted cases for more than three months. New Zealand had earned the praise for its handling of the pandemic, which involved a strict seven-week lockdown.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 17, 2020 07:24 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).