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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden announced on May 11 that shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants and playgrounds will be allowed to reopen after a strict closure of more than 2 months. Arden also added that the country will gradually remove its coronavirus blockade in the next 10 days. The country will move to Level 2 closure, which will allow schools to reopen and workers to return to their offices.
However, the bars may reopen from May 21, as they are considered “high risk”. In addition, various social distancing rules will remain in force as social gatherings, including weddings and funerals, would be limited to 10. In announcing the relaxation of the closure, Prime Minister Arden warned that “none of us can assume that COVID is not with us”. But he added that the country currently has only 90 active cases.
“His efforts in New Zealand have brought us to this place ahead of most of the world and without the carnage that COVID has inflicted in many other places,” he said in a televised speech. “But there are risks ahead, so stay tuned.”
With a population of approximately five million people, New Zealand managed to restrict its coronavirus cases to 1,147 and reported at least 21 deaths. On May 4, the country reported zero new cases of coronavirus for the first time since it closed in mid-March. Additionally, the number of new cases has been in the single digits since mid-April, and the country reported three new infections on May 11.
Read: Explainer: How New Zealand’s ‘Elimination Policy’ reduced COVID cases to zero in 6 weeks
What is allowed in level 2 block?
Under Level Two restrictions, while schools, offices, and recreational venues may reopen, international borders will still remain closed. However, on a national level, life will be almost normal with established precautions. Prime Minister Arden said that now people will no longer have to “stick to their bubble” as they will now be allowed to meet their loved ones. The country, which has been widely praised for successfully ‘eliminating’ the coronavirus, will follow social distancing rules to keep the risk of a resurgence at bay.
“This is a transition out of our bubbles, you can see people you haven’t seen in a long time, you just can’t do it all at once,” said Ardern. “At Level Two we are out and again, almost all parts of the economy are opening up again.”
Read: New Zealand’s “stuff” future is unclear after mourning statements
In addition, people over 70 will be able to go out again and domestic travel will also be allowed. Sports teams will also be able to return and planning to start a national version of Super Rugby on June 13 is already underway. After two weeks, level two would be reevaluated, the prime minister said.
‘We all know there is more to do. We may have won some battles, but we have not won the war. If we slack off, we could move in the wrong direction, “said the New Zealand prime minister.
On April 27, the country stated that it had “eliminated” the coronavirus as it reportedly registered only one new case, four “probable cases” and one new death. The country returned to level 3 of the blockade and eased some of its restrictions. At a press conference on April 27, Prime Minister Arden admitted that without level 4 restrictions, the image could have been different. She said the projected models in New Zealand could have had more than 1,000 cases per day if the measurements had been delayed.
WHO praises New Zealand
Michael Ryan, the Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, said on May 8 that New Zealand’s “comprehensive” and “systematic” response to the coronavirus outbreak made it more controllable. He added that it was “difficult to establish strict and fast rules” on how individual countries were affected by the virus. And Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had taken bold steps, putting the country under strict closure in late March, when only about 100 people tested positive for the new virus. His motto: “Go hard and go early.”
Read: WHO: Response to New Zealand virus made it more controllable
Read: New Zealand: Citizens Break Blockade in Record Numbers as Restrictions Loosen
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