One hundred days have passed since New Zealand picked up a case of the novel coronavirus caused by local transmission, the country’s health ministry announced on Sunday.
“It is 100 days since the last case of COVID-19 was purchased locally from an unknown source,” the ministry said in a statement. “No additional cases are reported as being repaired, so there are still 23 active cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation facilities.”
The 100-day milestone comes as regions around the world continuing with weather outbreaks and increasing cases. As of Sunday morning, more than 19.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, were reported worldwide, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.
In Australia, which is New Zealand’s neighbors, measures have recently been imposed in some regions due to rising infection rates.
New Zealand, a country with roughly 5 million people, has since emerged as a success story. The country implemented a number of lockdown measures in March, including closing down non-essential businesses and banning mass meetings as the disease spread. But in late April, health officials expressed confidence they had eliminated the transfer from the community.
“There is no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand. We have won that battle. But we must wait and see if we can keep it that way,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at the time.
Ardern lifted the majority of the country’s economic and social restrictions in June, making it possible to renovate restaurants and reimburse sporting events and concerts. The border has apparently been closed to all non-residents.
Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealand’s director general for health, said in a statement that “100 days without community transfer is a major milestone”, but stressed that citizens could not lose sight of the potential for another outbreak.
“However, as we all know, we can not afford to be selfish,” she added. “We have seen abroad how quickly the virus can reappear and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we must be ready to stamp out all future cases in New Zealand quickly. Every person in it team of five million has a role to play in this. “
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