New Zealand PM Ardern declares national emergency to tackle COVID-19
WELLINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared a state of national emergency as the country prepares to go into a complete lockdown at midnight to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
"Its a state of emergency to preserve our way of life," Ardern said in a speech in parliament on Wednesday, declaring a state of national emergency. The country will go into its highest level of alert from midnight.
The number of COVID-19 cases in New Zealand rose to 205, authorities announced earlier in the day. (Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
