New Zealand has eliminated transmission of the coronavirus and will lift all containment measures except for border curbs, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, adding that she "did a little dance" upon hearing that the country had no active cases.
Libby Hogan reports.
New Zealand welcomed the news that there are no active cases of the coronavirus for the first time since the virus arrived in the country in late February.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday(June 8) her country will lift all containment measures, except for border restrictions, beginning at midnight.
"Not only have we protected New Zealanders' health, we now have a head start on our economic recovery." And when asked how she celebrated the milestone, she answered: "I did a little dance." The news sets New Zealand on course to eliminate the disease from its shores and open up its economy.
That's largely thanks to seven weeks of a strict lockdown-where businesses were shut and all but essential workers stayed home.
Now, she's calling for collective action to unite for the country's economic recovery, encouraging people to buy local products and support local businesses to get them back on their feet.
In total, New Zealand reported 22 deaths and more than a thousand cases among its 5 million population.
The country's Ministry of Health said Monday the last person being monitored for the disease had recovered.
But officials are cautious about claiming victory.
Ardern warned that elimination of the virus does not mean permanent eradication.
For New Zealand, it will indicate 28 days of no so-called 'chains of transmission,' which would fall on June 15.
The island nation is only one of a handful of countries that have emerged from the pandemic.
The US, UK, India and Brazil are just some of the countries still wrestling with the spread of the virus.
New Zealand’s health ministry announces it has been 17 days since any new coronavirus case was reported. Prime Minister Jacinda..