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ANALYSIS: Despite being on opposite ends of the Earth, Iceland and New Zealand have many similarities. Both are small island countries, heavily reliant on tourism and currently run by young female prime ministers.
Both countries have also been praised for their responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, characterized by science-informed politics and a high degree of public trust.
Right now, Iceland and New Zealand have some of the lowest per capita Covid-19 deaths among OECD countries (2.83 and 0.51 per 100,000 population, respectively, compared to an OECD average of 24.01 per 100,000).
Both have been ranked among the 14 safest countries in the world for Covid-19.
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But since the first cases were identified in each country in late February 2020, the two nations have taken different paths in their responses to Covid-19. What lessons can we learn from your travels so far?
Lisa Maree Williams / Getty-Images
The prominent role of scientists, the use of multi-agency collaborations as part of Covid-19 response strategies, and the willingness to adapt to new knowledge have also been key features for both countries.
New Zealand’s strategy
New Zealand is one of the few countries that openly declares a Covid-19 elimination strategy. This involved a progressively strengthened contact tracing and isolation system, with early and strict use of closures and border controls.
A nationwide shutdown was instigated on March 26 shortly after community transmission was first demonstrated in the country and before deaths occurred. Along with the closure, the border was closed to all but New Zealand citizens and residents.
A 14-day quarantine was implemented at the managed facility for all new arrivals. These border controls have continued to this day despite the enormous impact on the tourism industry.
New Zealand’s “do your best, start early” strategy proved more effective than most had anticipated. The country returned to its lowest alert level on June 8, after just seven weeks of closure.
A new group emerged
On August 11, after more than 100 days without community transmission of Covid-19, a cluster of cases unrelated to other known cases was detected in Auckland. This outbreak is still being contained and no source has yet been identified.
The government’s response was to immediately reinstate stay-at-home orders in Auckland, raise the alert level for the rest of the country, and further tighten systems at the border and at quarantine and isolation facilities.
Key to managing this resurgence was the use of rapid genome sequencing and a new requirement for the use of masks when traveling on public transport.
Hannah Peters / Getty Images
NZ resumed testing after a new cluster outbreak.
Iceland’s strategy
Unlike New Zealand, Iceland’s strategy did not involve a closure period, no official border closures for non-residents, and negligible use of managed quarantine facilities.
Instead, the goal is to mitigate the infection so that it does not overwhelm the health care system and to keep the number as low as possible. As in New Zealand, there is a new requirement for the use of face masks when traveling on public transport and where physical distancing is difficult.
The cornerstone of Iceland’s response has been easy access to Covid-19 testing and mass detection, along with quarantine and contact tracing. This was made possible through a public-private partnership between the Icelandic health authorities, the Icelandic National University Hospital and the local biopharmaceutical company deCODE Genetics.
At one point, Iceland was conducting more tests per capita than any other country.
Newcomers test
As Iceland freed itself from community transmission of Covid-19 in mid-May, pressure grew from the tourism industry and other stakeholders to reduce the 14-day quarantine policy for newcomers to the country.
In response, a controversial new border control program was implemented on June 15. This required all inbound travelers to be screened once for Covid-19 upon arrival and then urged to self-quarantine until results emerged, usually within 24 hours.
As a consequence, tourism in June and July exceeded all expectations in Iceland.
But the increase in community transmission, with several groups emerging from travelers who tested negative on arrival, caused a gradual tightening of the border system.
Since August 19, all inbound travelers have had to undergo a mandatory self-quarantine, during which they must return two negative Covid-19 tests at least five days apart.
The switch to this two-test strategy turned out to be a wise move, as 25 (20 percent) of the 126 active infections in inbound travelers were detected only in the second test.
Science, confidence and adaptability
Although they adopted different strategies, both Iceland and New Zealand demonstrate the importance of decisive, science-informed decision-making and clear communication including regular public briefings by senior officials.
As a consequence, high levels of public confidence have been recorded in both Iceland and New Zealand, although this has varied throughout the pandemic.
The prominent role of scientists, the use of multi-agency collaborations as part of Covid-19 response strategies, and the willingness to adapt to new knowledge have also been key features for both countries.
Only time will allow a full evaluation of each country’s Covid-19 strategy. More than ever, the global community needs to learn from the experiences of others, avoid dogmatism, and adapt to our national responses as we navigate a path out of this pandemic. 
David Murdoch, Dean and Campus Director, University of Otago, Christchurch, University of Otago and Magnús Gottfreðsson, Professor, Infectious Diseases, University of Iceland
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
