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The easing of COVID-19 measures before midnight on Wednesday means there will be no limit to meetings in Auckland.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that the coronavirus restrictions in Auckland would be lifted this week, as she expressed confidence that the second wave of coronavirus infections in the country’s largest city had been almost eliminated. .
“It felt longer and dragged on into what was already beginning to feel like a very long year,” he said.
“But despite this, the people of Aucklanders and New Zealanders stuck to the plan that has already worked twice and beat the virus again.”
The city will go to Alert Level 1 before midnight Wednesday, joining the rest of the country with no new cases reported in the Auckland group for 10 consecutive days.
“Now there is a 95 percent chance that the group will be eliminated,” Ardern told a news conference.
“COVID-19 will be with us for many months. But we should still mark these milestones. “
New Zealand, a nation of five million, appeared to have eliminated community transmission of COVID-19 earlier this year following a harsh national lockdown that was subsequently lifted.
Auckland’s renewed outbreak, detected in August, was the largest the country had seen, with 179 linked cases, and led Ardern to tighten restrictions in Auckland.
General Elections of October 17
The relaxation of the measures means that there will be no limit of 100 people in meetings in Auckland, nor rules of physical distancing in bars and restaurants.
The country registered a new case on Monday, involving a New Zealander returning from abroad, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,499, including 25 deaths.
Well done Aotearoa! We did it. https://t.co/CZREe83bMY
– Helen Clark Foundation (@HelenClarkFound) October 5, 2020
Ardern’s success in containing the coronavirus has played an important role in putting her firmly in the lead in the polls for the October 17 general election.
Still, Ardern cautioned that success could not be taken for granted.
He noted a decrease in use of the official COVID-19 tracking app and a decrease in virus test numbers.
“The resurgence of the virus is not our only concern, the resurgence of complacency is up there as well,” Ardern said.
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