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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda ArdernShutterstock

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(LifeSiteNews— New Zealand’s Prime Minister imposed a strict national lockdown on the isolated nation of 5 million people after a single case of COVID surfaced in Auckland.   

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s lockdown measure — ordering stores and businesses closed and telling people to stay in their homes — is seen by observers as “dystopian” and “a zero Covid fantasy” that is “a never-ending nightmare.” 

“Do not congregate. Don’t talk to your neighbors. Please keep to your bubbles,” warned Ardern in a televised address. “It comes down again to those very simple principles.” 

“We know from overseas cases of the Delta variant that it can be spread by people simply walking past one another,” she continued.  “So keep those movements outside to a bare minimum, wear a mask, and make sure you keep up that physical distancing.”   

The New Zealand government’s heavy-handed response to the solitary COVID-19 case has been seen as wildly disproportionate to the threat it represents by some global commentators.  

“New Zealand has just been plunged into a nationwide lockdown with all vaccinations cancelled because of one Covid case,” tweeted Dan Wootton, a columnist for The Daily Mail. 

“That’s right, ONE case of a virus we all know we have to learn to live with,” said Wootton.  

“Jacinda Ardern’s Zero Covid fantasy is nothing short of a never-ending nightmare,” he declared.  

“There’s nothing as dystopian as a country’s Prime Minister telling you that you’re not allowed to talk to your neighbors or walk past people in the street against the backdrop of a sign saying ‘Scan QR codes and turn on Bluetooth tracing,” noted Amy Tarkanian, former Nevada GOP chairwoman. 

“This is because of ONE COVID-19 case.” 

“Jacinda Ardern has lost her marbles,” tweeted Nigel Farage, key leader of the Brexit movement. 

As it stands now, the entire nation will be under lockdown from 11:59 p.m. local time Tuesday and continuing for three days. The city of Auckland and the town of Coromandel, where the 58-year-old COVID-positive man traveled with his wife, will continue under lockdown for a full week.  

Authorities are uncertain about how the man contracted COVID-19 since he did not leave the country, and fear that other cases remain undetected within their borders.  This is the first known case of COVID in New Zealand since February.  

Ardern and the government she leads have come under fire previously for their dictatorial style.   

At the outset of the global pandemic in March 2020, Ardern advised her constituents to dismiss all sources of COVID-19 information other than that which comes from the New Zealand government.   

“We will continue to be your single source of truth,” she said.  

Referring to online theories, Arden said, “When you see those messages, remember that unless you hear it from us, it is not the truth.”   

Last month, the nation’s COVID-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins, said the government may find it necessary to go chase down unvaccinated people.   

“Of course, I want every New Zealander to come forward,” said Hipkins, “but human behavior suggests that there will be some people that we have to actually really go out and look for.”  

Hipkins acknowledged that there had been adverse side effects to the COVID-19 jab but said this was “not unusual for this vaccine, that applies with almost every vaccine that does get rolled out.” 

“Early next year, we’ll be in the phase of chasing up people who haven’t come forward to get their vaccination or who have missed their bookings and so on,” promised Hipkins. 

“Serious reactions have included facial paralysis, hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism, reduced vision, seizure, stroke, and thrombosis,” according to a Newshub report.