New Zealand Has Had No New COVID-19 Cases in the Past 100 Days
The World Health Organization praised New Zealand’s strict management of the coronavirus crisis as an exemplary model. New Zealand has not registered a single new case of coronavirus in the past 100 days, but has no intention of opening its borders.
Person-to-person transmission of coronavirus in New Zealand has halted for the past hundred days. Although no new cases of coronavirus have been registered in the country over the past hundred days, New Zealand’s health ministry authorities have warned against complacency in adhering to health protocols.
According to official statistics, there are currently 23 people infected with coronavirus in the country who have come from outside, and after testing positive for COVID-19, they have been sent to quarantine centers.
Ashley Bloomfield, one of New Zealand’s senior health officials, emphasized: “A hundred days without registering a new case is an important milestone in the pandemic, but we all know that we cannot be complacent. In other countries, we have seen how quickly the virus has resurged in places that were previously under control. We must be prepared to act quickly if we observe new cases.”
On March 15 (February 25 on the Persian calendar), after registering several cases of coronavirus in the country, New Zealand quickly took strict measures to prevent further spread of the virus and closed its borders.
Two days later, the government declared a complete lockdown; a measure that was considered extremely strict according to internationally defined criteria for dealing with pandemics. From that date onward, only grocery stores, pharmacies, and hospitals were allowed to operate.
The government simultaneously succeeded in communicating its message correctly to the people, and continuous messaging about health being a priority for citizens, holding daily press conferences, and directly addressing the community, especially children, drew public attention and cooperation.
The capacity of coronavirus testing laboratories was rapidly increased, and health authorities succeeded in keeping the number of infected individuals and deaths from COVID-19 low by conducting extensive tests and widespread tracing and quarantine of infected individuals. In total, approximately 1,600 cases of coronavirus infection and 22 deaths from COVID-19 infections have been recorded in this country.
The fact that New Zealand is an island nation also contributed to the successful containment of the coronavirus. Border control was simpler for this country compared to countries with long land borders. Low population density was also another major advantage. Coronavirus is transmitted from person to person, and the more dispersed the population, the slower its spread.
In mid-June, the government of this island nation in the South Pacific officially declared that New Zealand was free of coronavirus and lifted all restrictions. However, New Zealand’s borders remain largely closed to all foreign nationals. Travelers who are able to enter New Zealand must spend 14 days in quarantine.
The World Health Organization has described New Zealand’s government crisis management as an exemplary model.
Source: DW
