New Zealand recorded 100 days yesterday with no Covid-19 cases in the community. However, health officials warned there was no room for complacency, reported by Malay Mail.
So far, there are still 23 active cases but all were detected at the border when entering the country and are being held in a isolation facilities for treatment.
New Zealand, with a population of 5 million, has won praise for its effective handling of the Covid-19 since closing its borders on Mar 19. Even, World Health Organisation (WHO) has hailed the country as an example to others for having “successfully eliminated community transmission.”
An early lockdown, tough border restrictions, effective health messaging and an aggressive test-and-trace programme have all been credited with virtually eliminating the virus in the country.
According to BBC,Director-general of Health, Ashley Bloomfield said, “Achieving 100 days without community transmission is a significant milestone, however, as we all know, we can’t afford to be complacent.”
“We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand.”
For now, basically New Zealander are back to near to normal life, with no-social distancing and all sports and cultural events are allowed, but still border are strictly controlled and all arrivals required to spend 14 days in quarantine.
The government has maintained the prospect of a second wave remains a possibility and is pushing for all households to keep emergency supply kits including masks.