New Zealand declares itself coronavirus-free

 

New Zealand declares itself coronavirus-free

New Zealand has no active Covid-19 cases after the country's final patient was given the all clear and released from isolation.

AFP

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern briefs the media about the Covid-19 coronavirus at the Parliament House in Wellington on April 27, 2020.

 

New Zealand has eliminated transmission of the novel coronavirus and will lift all containment measures except for border curbs, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, making the South Pacific nation one of the first countries to do so.

 

The government will drop social distancing restrictions from midnight on Monday as it moves to a Level 1 national alert from Level 2, Ardern told a news conference.

Public and private events, the retail and hospitality industries and all public transport could resume without social distancing norms still in place across much of the world.

"While we’re in a safer, stronger position there’s still no easy path back to pre-Covidlife, but the determination and focus we have had on our health response will now be vested in our economic rebuild," Ardern said.

"While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. So can I finish with a very simple 'Thank you, New Zealand.'"

 

The South Pacific nation of about 5 million people is emerging from the pandemic while big economies such as Brazil, Britain, India and the United States grapple with the spreading virus.

"We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort," Ardern added.

 

There were no active cases for the first time since the virus arrived in New Zealand in late February, the health ministry said. New Zealand has reported 1,154 infections and 22 deaths from the disease.

"Having no active cases for the first time since Feb. 28 is certainly a significant mark in our journey, but as we’ve previously said, ongoing vigilance agains t Covid-19 will continue to be essential," Dr Ashley Bloomfield, the director-general of health, said in the statement.

 

New Zealand has vowed to eliminate, not just contain, the virus, but the health ministry has been cautious about declaring victory.

It said elimination did not mean eradicating the virus permanently, but stopping "chains of transmission" for a period after the last infected person left isolation.

It also required New Zealand to "effectively prevent or contain any future imported cases from overseas", it added in an emailed statement.

 

SOURCE: REUTERS

 

Coronavirus: NZ could be declared free of Covid-19 in 21 days

John Weekes

May 28, 2020 • 06:23pm

New Zealand could be declared coronavirus-free in 21 days, a study suggests, and with so few known active cases left, may have already effectively eliminated the disease.

 

 

On April 24, 2021, Eden Park made history with its first concert. Kiwi band SIX60 headlined the acts, playing to a sold-out crowd of 50,000. 

NEW ZEALAND MUSIC

25 Apr 2021

Six60's first Eden Park gig may have been watched by millions

1:03 pm on 25 April 2021 

 

It is estimated millions of people around the world tuned in to the live-stream of last night's history-making Six60 concert at Eden Park.

Six60 perform the first concert headlined by a New Zealand act at Eden Park, broadcast to 11 Pacific Island countries. Photo:

In Auckland 50,000 people flocked to the sold out concert to hear Six60 live, along with performances by Jess B, Dave Dobbyn, Troy Kingi, Maimoa and Drax Project.

 

Eden Park was sold out for the first New Zealand act to headline a concert at the stadium. Photo: Supplied/Six60

Eden Park has also been a venue discussed as a possible mass vaccination site for the Covid-19 jab.