New Zealand has not reported any new cases of the novel coronavirus for 24 days.
All the COVID-19 cases in the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern-led country appear to have completely eradicated the COVID-19. On June 8, health officials in New Zealand reported that the final person known to have been infected by the novel coronavirus had recovered. Thus, the day marked the first time from late February that there had been no active cases of COVID-19 in the country.
However, the health officials cautioned that new cases could be imported into the country, which has closed its borders to everybody but citizens and residents, with some exceptions.
After the recovery of the last COVID-19 patient, PM Ardern said she was confident that New Zealand had halted the spread of the virus but it still must be prepared for more. “We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort,” she said at a news conference.
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Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said it was a pleasing development.
“Having no active cases for the first time since February 28 is certainly a significant mark in our journey but as we've previously said, ongoing vigilance against COVID-19 will continue to be essential," Bloomfield said.
Experts say a number of factors have helped the nation of five million to wipe out the disease. Its isolated location in the South Pacific gave it a vital time to see how outbreaks spread in other countries, and PM Ardern acted decisively by imposing a strict lockdown early in New Zealand's outbreak.
Just over 1,500 people contracted the virus in New Zealand, including 22 who died.
The country lifted all social and economic restrictions, except border controls, after declaring it was free of the novel coronavirus.
(With inputs from PTI)
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