Sure, it’s a nation of islands, but still.
While countries such as the US continue to face an increasing number of coronavirus cases, the New Zealand Department of Public Health announced a remarkable milestone on Sunday: There has not been a single new locally transmitted case of COVID-19 in 100 days.
“Reaching 100 days without communication transmission is a major milestone. However, as we all know, we can not be trusted,” said the country’s director general of health. “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 put out all future cases in New Zealand quickly.
Overall, New Zealand, with a population of 5 million, has had 1,219 cases compared to more than 5 million in the US. There are still 23 active cases in managed isolation facilities in the country.
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“We’ll almost see things here again … and that’s not a sign we’ve failed, it’s a reality of this virus.”
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New Zealand took an aggressive approach to stopping the virus early, introducing severe restrictions in April. But by June, most of these were lifted, although the borders still remain closed to foreign visitors. Kiwis returning are required to be quarantined for two weeks.
Here is a quick video explaining the approach of New Zealand:
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is re-elected next month, has been praised around the world for her handling of the pandemic.
To read:New Zealand Prime Minister hailed as ‘the most effective leader’ of the world
“We are sure we have eliminated the transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time, it is an ongoing effort,” she said back in June to mark the reopening of the country. , while much of the world saw a spike in numbers. “We’ll see almost every case here again … and that’s not a sign we’ve failed, it’s a reality of this virus.”
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