America’s Cup on hold amid New Zealand’s Covid lockdown

WELLINGTON: The America’s Cup final between Team New Zealand and Italy’s Luna Rossa on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour was pushed back on Sunday as a coronavirus outbreak plunged the city back into lockdown.

The first four races in the best-of-13 showdown were scheduled for next weekend but “will not occur before at least Wednesday, March 10,” America’s Cup Events chair Tina Symmans said.

“We need to understand all likely scenarios so that an updated racing schedule can be put in place whilst also ensuring the regulatory requirements are met.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered a seven-day, level-three, lockdown in Auckland from 6am Sunday (1700 GMT Saturday) after a 21-year-old man visited a gym and other public areas after testing positive for the UK strain of the virus.

It is the 13th case of Covid-19 in the community since the latest cluster emerged two weeks ago putting Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city with a population of 1.7 million, into a three-day lockdown.