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New Zealand ranks first as the best place to be during the coronavirus pandemic, in the rankings of global media company Bloomberg.
New Zealand took the top spot in part due to decisive government action to shut down in March before any deaths occurred, Bloomberg reporters said.
New Zealanders essentially lived “in a world without Covid” because the government aimed to “eliminate” – not eradicate – the virus through testing, contact tracing and a centralized quarantine strategy.
Although the country’s key tourism industry was suffering with borders effectively closed to tourists, social events and entertainment were underway, and the retail sector and other parts of the economy were on the mend.
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Joseph Johnson / Stuff
New Zealand is ranked ahead of the most advanced economies as the best place to be as Covid-19 hits the world.
“New Zealand emphasized communication from the beginning, with a four-tier alert system that gave people a clear picture of how and why the government would act as the outbreak evolved,” according to Bloomberg.
At the national level, the government has previously been criticized for border failures and a shortage of personal protective equipment.
Covid-19 infections continued to be reported, eight on Wednesday, among people returning to the country and in managed isolation and quarantine facilities.
Auckland temporarily returned to level 3 and the rest of the country rose again to level 2 on August 12 after the re-emergence of community transmission of the virus.
On October 8, Auckland joined the rest of the country at Tier 1.
Behind New Zealand, according to its Bloomberg resilience scores, were Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Finland, Norway, Australia, China, Denmark and Vietnam. Germany ranked 14th, the United States 18th and Ireland 20th.
The US and the UK were originally seen as the best prepared for a pandemic, but were overwhelmed by infections and faced a return to lockdowns.
Without its focus on vaccine development, the rising number of cases and deaths meant that the US would have been placed at number 29.
Marcio José Sánchez / AP
The United States was initially seen as well prepared for the pandemic, but has been overwhelmed by infections.
Bloomberg’s ratings were aimed at showing where the virus had been most effectively managed with the least disruption to business and society. Economies of more than US $ 200 billion were ranked based on 10 key factors, including virus case growth, death rate, testing capacities, and vaccine supply agreements.
The local health system, the impact of restrictions such as blockades on the economy and freedom of movement were also considered.
The result was a snapshot of how all 53 countries were dealing with the pandemic and would change over time, Bloomberg said.
The success of Taiwan, which ranks third, was rated remarkable considering its ties to mainland China, where the virus first emerged. The island, which quickly closed its borders and adopted a technology-centric approach to protect its population, has had more than 200 days without a case of locally transmitted virus.
Life had largely returned to normal, but Taiwan’s score reflected the fact that it had not made any deals for the more advanced Covid-19 vaccines.
China was the largest of the best-performing countries, implementing early mass testing and a two-week quarantine for visitors, but its aggressive lockdowns in some regions were negative.
China was the first country to introduce a border control, around Hubei province, where the disease originated.
Eight of the top 10 performing countries were democracies, which Bloomberg says showed the success of governments that rely on a high degree of trust and compliance, rather than using submission to achieve their goals.
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