On Tuesday, New Zealand documented its first domestically transmitted case of COVID-19 in six months, prompting officials to investigate the infection's origins as they consider a response.

The case was discovered in Auckland, the country's largest city, according to the health service, which added that "a relationship between the case and the border or controlled isolation has yet to be established."

Ministers will gather later Tuesday to decide how to respond to New Zealand's first community case since February 28, according to the statement.

“The best tool for stamping out any potential spread is a hard and early response,” the agency stated. “Everyone in New Zealand is asked to stay calm, be kind, and play their part while we gather more information on the potential case.”

The case was kept under wraps for the time being.

New Zealand has received worldwide accolades for its coronavirus response, with only 26 deaths in a five-million-strong population.

Its vaccine rollout, on the other hand, has been less than fantastic, with only about 20% of the population properly immunized.

Since an initial statewide response last year succeeded in essentially blocking the virus at the border, Auckland has been pushed into multiple brief periods of lockdown.

In the two-million-person city, the most recent stay-at-home orders expired in March.

Last Monday, officials in New Zealand warned that the presence of the delta variant would result in a "short, sharp lockdown."