New Zealand confident won battle to effectively eliminate coronavirus

NEW ZEALAND is confident it has won its battle to effectively eliminate coronavirus, for the time being at least.

Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said at Monday’s government briefing there was “no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand,” but warned the country “must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way.”

The news comes as the nation prepares to lift some of the very tough lockdown restrictions introduced when there were just a few dozen cases. Borders were closed and all new arrivals into the country had to go into quarantine.

From Tuesday some non-essential businesses and schools will be allowed to reopen. But much of the population will still have to work and study at home if possible, and social distancing regulations will remain in place, with a ban on mass gatherings and shopping centres remaining closed.

“We are opening up the economy, but we’re not opening up people’s social lives,” the Prime Minister stressed.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said the fact there had been very few new coronavirus cases over recent days “does give us confidence that we have achieved our goal of elimination.”

He made the point this did mean there were be no new cases, but that health officials would “know where our cases are coming from.”

There have been less than 1,500 confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand and 19 deaths related to the virus, the latest a woman in her 90’s.