New Zealand marked 100 days on Sunday because it could effectively eliminate the spread of coronavirus.
The South Pacific nation suppressed the spread of the virus through the implementation of a strict lockdown – closing borders for foreign nationals – after only 100 people tested positive in March.
In the past three months, the only new cases that have come up were among returning travelers who were quarantined at the border of the country, which is home to 5 million people.
Customers at a cafe enjoying lunch in the sunshine in Christchurch, New Zealand, Sunday 9 August 2020. New Zealand marked a 100 days of coronavirus release in their communities on Sunday 9 August, with just a handful of infections continuing with being picked up at the border where people are in quarantine. (AP Photo / Mark Baker)
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The country has reported just over 1,500 COVID-19 cases and only 22 deaths after the severe lockdown.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in early June that officials “are confident that we have eliminated the spread of the virus in New Zealand for now.”
She has praised many for her leadership as other countries look to the nation for answers as they fight the virus.
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“It was good science and great political leadership that made the difference,” said epidemiologist Michael Baker, a professor at the University of Otago. “If you look all over the world at countries that have done well, it’s usually that combination.”
This article first appeared in the New York Post.
