The Latest: New Zealand vows to react fast if delta arrives

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s government is warning its citizens to be prepared for a strict lockdown at the first sign of an outbreak of the delta variant of the coronavirus.

COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the government’s response is likely to be “swift and severe.”

New Zealand has stamped out the spread of the virus and had previously planned to rely primarily on contact tracing for any small outbreaks.

But Hipkins said the problems that Sydney currently faces in trying to contact trace a growing outbreak showed the delta variant was extremely hard to manage and that New Zealand’s tolerance for risk was now very low.

He also hinted that New Zealand might soon mandate more mask use during outbreaks and change its strategy on administering second doses of the Pfizer vaccine to ensure more people got a first dose earlier, saying the details on the changes would be announced soon.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— In Iran, slow vaccinations sow anger in unending pandemic

— US hospitals are running low on nurses as they get swamped with COVID-19 patients

— Pandemic prompts changes in how future teachers in US are trained

— Some US entertainment venues may require vaccine passports for summer fun

— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, has extended its lockdown in a bid to stamp out an outbreak of COVID-19, while authorities in Sydney say they are considering easing restrictions...