A divided nation: the true cost of New Zealand's lockdown

Jacinda Ardern did a ‘little dance’ and thanked her ‘team of five million’ when she was told coronavirus had been eliminated from New Zealand. But her celebration now appears somewhat premature. A sudden spike in cases has forced Auckland back into lockdown and revealed the flaw in the country’s strategy for tackling the virus.

In its effort to make New Zealand covid-free, Adern’s government has taken drastic measures. The country’s borders have been almost entirely locked down and the few visitors and expats who do arrive are forced to stump up for their time in quarantine. But even these policies – as the cluster of cases to emerge in Auckland shows – are not enough to completely defeat the virus. Now, many New Zealanders are asking what Adern’s long-term strategy is. Can New Zealand really sustain going in and out of lockdown in the event that other small clusters emerge? And for the million or so expats stranded abroad, there is growing frustration at the measures imposed that make returning home an arduous if not impossible task.