For the first time since February 28, New Zealand’s health ministry has reported zero active coronavirus cases. The last patient who was being monitored was discharged, after being declared symptom-free.
Following this, Jacinda Ardern, the country’s prime minister, in a statement on Monday, said that all restrictions were to be lifted from Tuesday. In a news conference, she was reported saying that they were confident of having eliminated the virus, for now. “But elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort. While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone… Thank you, New Zealand,” she added.
Although most restrictions are to be lifted, borders will still remain closed, as the country moves from level 1 alert to level 2. With this, New Zealand has officially been declared coronavirus-free.
Speaking of this, Director-General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, says that this week anyone crossing the border into New Zealand will be tested twice in a two-week period. There will also be surveillance testing of anyone working at or around the border, he says. Community based testing will continue, with a focus on anyone with symptoms.
New Zealand has reported 1,154 infections and 22 deaths from the disease. The country, with only five million people, is emerging out of the pandemic, while huge economies like the USA, Brazil and India continues to grapple with the virus.