New Zealand PM Ardern extends lockdown in Auckland to Sept 21

FILE PHOTO: A normally busy road is deserted during a lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Auckland, New Zealand, August 26, 2021. REUTERS/Fiona Goodall

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand's largest city Auckland will remain in lockdown to beat the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.

Auckland will remain in the strict Alert level 4 lockdown until midnight on Sept. 21, after which it will move to alert level 3, Ardern said in a news conference.