18 Aug 2020

Covid-19: Early signs for Auckland lockdown good, but time will tell if it works - Baker

From Morning Report, 7:12 am on 18 August 2020

It won't be known for several more days whether the level three lockdown in Auckland has done enough to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

That's the view of Otago University epidemiologist Michael Baker.

There were nine new cases in the community yesterday, and 13 the day before.

Professor Baker said the current numbers are only showing what happened just before or in the first few days after Auckland went into lockdown, and time will tell if it will need to be extended and how much by.

But at the moment things are looking good.

"This is looking like we will get this under control," he told Morning Report.

"And of course, we can control a cluster and we can eliminate this disease again."