Jubilee Post News & Views
Special Desk
Barring border areas there are now no restrictions in New Zealand that has declared its last coronavirus patient as treated.
New Zealand has lifted almost all of its coronavirus restrictions after reporting no active cases and has moved to level one, the lowest of a four-tier alert system. Social distancing is now not required and there are no limits on public gatherings, but borders remain closed to foreigners. The last case reported here was more than two weeks ago.
New Zealand first went into lockdown on 25 March, just when India had announced lockdown. Most businesses in New Zealand were shut, schools closed and people were asked to stay at home. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters she did a little dance when she was told the country no longer had any active cases.
“While we’re in a safer, stronger position, there’s still no easy path back to pre-Covid life, but the determination and focus we have had on our health response will now be vested in our economic rebuild,” Ardern said.
“While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. So can I finish with a very simple, Thank you, New Zealand,” she said.
After more than five weeks, the nation moved to level three in April, allowing takeaway food shops and some non-essential businesses to re-open. As the number of community cases continued to decline, the country moved into level two in mid-May.
The move to level one comes ahead of time – the government had originally planned to make the move on 22 June, but it was brought forward after no new cases were reported for 17 days. Schools and workplaces can open. Weddings, funerals and public transport can resume without any restrictions. Social distancing is no longer required but will be encouraged.
The country’s borders remain closed to foreign travellers, and rules remain in place requiring New Zealanders arriving from abroad to go through a 14-day period of isolation or quarantine. New Zealand has recorded 1,154 confirmed cases and 22 deaths from Covid-19 since the virus arrived in late February. For many, the latest announcement is a cause for celebration – but not without caution.
