CANBERRA LOCKS DOWN, N.Z. KEEPS BORDER SHUT

The Australian capital Canberra entered a snap lockdown Thursday as a result of a single COVID-19 case and New Zealand announced its borders would remain closed until the end of the year, as both countries pursue a “zero COVID” strategy.

Canberra's 400,000 residents have been ordered to stay at home for a week because a person who tested positive for coronavirus had been in the community while infectious.

More than 10 million people in Australia's biggest cities, Melbourne and

Sydney, are under lockdown.

Across the Tasman Sea, Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand prime minister, said strict border controls would remain in place for the rest of this year to prevent the delta variant from entering the country.