Coronavirus-New Zealand says community transmission has stopped, lockdown eases

New Zealand claims that community transmission of coronavirus has stopped, leading to the elimination of the virus.

New Zealand has reported 1, 469 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Out of these, 19 people have died whereas 1,180 patients have recovered. There are 270 active cases of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has said that the virus was “currently” eliminated.

However, officials warned that this does not mean new cases has totally ended.

New Zealand has decided to lift the toughest level of social limitations, according to the international news agency.

Some non-essential business, education activity, and healthcare are allowed to reopen from Tuesday.

Most people will be asked to keep maintaining social distancing.

In the daily government briefing, Jacinda Arden said, “We are opening up the economy, but we’re not opening up people’s social lives,”

Director-General of Health in New Zealand Ashley Bloomfield said that the fewer number of new cases “does give us confidence that we have achieved our goal of elimination”.

He said that “elimination” did not mean new cases will not come out, “but it does mean we know where our cases are coming from”.

Ms. Ardern said there was “no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand”, adding: “We have won that battle.”

But she said the country “must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way”.

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