Jacinda Ardern speaks to media after Labour victory, new community COVID-19 case

  • 18/10/2020

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Jacinda Ardern will speak to reporters following the announcement of a new case of COVID-19 in the community.

Ardern is riding high on a landslide victory in the 2020 election but the news of the Auckland COVID-19 case may have soured that slightly.

The case, a man who works on ships throughout New Zealand, returned a positive COVID-19 test on Friday 16  but it was not made public until Sunday 18 - a day after Labour's win. 

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says the man most likely contracted the virus at the border, not in the community. There are also two new imported cases of the virus, bringing the confirmed case total to 1530.

There are now 42 active cases in the country.

On Saturday night Ardern's Labour Party brought in a whopping 49 percent of the vote which translates to 64 seats in Parliament.

With these numbers, the Party could govern alone. Ardern hinted that perhaps this would be the case, saying more complex coalition agreements can make it difficult to govern - but apart from that she's been tight-lipped on whether she will team up with the Greens.