Covid 19 coronavirus: New UK strain would need longer level 4 lockdown if outbreak here - scientist 13 Jan, 2021 11:28 PM 5 minutes to read Ambulances queue outside London hospital as Covid-19 patient numbers rise and it enters 'disaster medicine mode'. Video / ITV Ambulances queue outside London hospital as Covid-19 patient numbers rise and it enters 'disaster medicine mode'. Video / ITV Social issues reporter, NZ Heraldmichael.neilson@nzherald.co.nz A level 4 lockdown longer than that back in March would be needed to stamp out new strains of Covid-19 which had potential for "explosive exponential growth" if they entered the community, scientists say. The warning comes as iwi leaders join calls for New Zealand to tighten up the numbers of people arriving into the country, particularly from places where the new strains are rife.