New Zealand reports 12 new confirmed coronavirus cases

Aug 14 (Reuters) - New Zealand on Friday reported 12 new confirmed cases of coronavirus for the last 24 hours as the country awaits an announcement from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on whether a lockdown in its biggest city will be eased or extended.

The country's biggest city of Auckland, home to 1.7 million people, was put into lockdown on Wednesday, hours after four new COVID-19 cases were discovered in a family living there.

Thirty eight people linked to the virus cluster have already been moved into quarantine facilities, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said in a media briefing in Wellington.

The country reported 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 a day earlier.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Tom Hogue)