New Zealand no longer has any active covid-19 cases, officials said Monday, announcing a near-victory over the coronavirus pandemic that will allow them to lift all social distancing restrictions and fully reopen their economy within hours.
The island nation’s last known patient, who had been linked to a cluster of infections and nursing home in Auckland, reported no symptoms in the past 48 hours and was released from isolation over the weekend, health authorities said.
“This is really good news for the person concerned, and it’s also something the rest of New Zealand can take heart from,” Ashley Bloomfield, the country’s director-general of health, said in a statement. “But as we’ve previously said, ongoing vigilance against COVID-19 will continue to be essential.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has drawn widespread praise for her decisive — and effective — response to the pandemic, imposing a stringent lockdown for seven weeks aimed at eliminating the virus entirely.
At midnight Tuesday, New Zealand will move to a “level one alert,” she said, allowing all businesses and regular activities to resume. Though restrictions on international travel will remain, officials have been discussing the possibility of opening up a “travel bubble” with Australia and other Pacific nations.
“While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone,” Ardern said at a news conference.
As most of the world’s largest economies continue to grapple with mounting death tolls and stretched health systems, the announcement makes New Zealand one of the first industrialized countries to successfully emerge from the pandemic.
The first case among its population of 5 million was reported on Feb. 28. The country’s next goal is eliminating “chains of transmission” for at least 28 days, or two incubation periods, after its last coronavirus patient leaves isolation, health officials said.
