Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand 'has turned the corner' in its fight against coronavirus as 50 more people contract the killer virus
- Jacinda Ardern said NZ has made significant progress in fight against COVID-19
- There are 50 new cases on Wednesday, which is four less than the day before
- New Zealand has been in complete lockdown since March 26 to stop COVID-19
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand has made significant progress in its fight against coronavirus.
New Zealand reported 50 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, which is four fewer than was reported the day before and the lowest increase during the lockdown.
'We may yet see bumps along the way... but I remain cautiously optimistic that we are starting to turn a corner,' Ms Ardern said.
New Zealand has been in complete lockdown since Thursday, March 26 to stop the spread of COVID-19 across the country.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) said New Zealand has made significant progress in its fight against coronavirus
New Zealand reported 50 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, which is four fewer than was reported the day before (pictured: A nurse speaks to a driver in Auckland, New Zealand)
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There have been a total of 1,210 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country.
Significantly, the 50 cases result came from 4,098 tests - New Zealand's biggest day of testing yet - which suggests a vastly declining rate of infection and the best sign yet that control of coronavirus is within New Zealand's grasp.
These news cases are made up of 26 confirmed cases and 24 that have been declared probable.
Out of the total, 12 people are in hospital, including four people in the ICU, and two others are in a critical condition.
Ms Ardern said New Zealanders have made major sacrifices during the lockdown but the drop in daily confirmed coronavirus cases has proved their restrictions are working.
New Zealand's lockdown has been of a magnitude higher than Australia's, particularly as it relates to business.
Ms Ardern's government is beginning to relax those restrictions on trading but has ruled out an early exit to the lockdown, which is due to conclude when Kiwis wake up on Thursday April 23.
'It's all the more reason to stay the course of our self-isolation as a nation,' she said, warning against complacency as infections drop.
'We may yet see bumps along the way ... but I remain cautiously optimistic that we are starting to turn a corner,' Ms Ardern said (pictured: A sign on a residential gate in Glen Eden asks people to stay home)
Of particular concern is the Easter weekend, when many Kiwis may congregate for religious services, or flee their cities for their holiday homes on the coast or in the hills.
'The message here is really simple. Alert-level four lockdown remains in place and there is absolutely no change to the rules,' Ms Ardern said.
'That means churches and other places of worship will remain closed over Easter weekend.
'I know that will be an enormous disappointment to many people of faith but I ask religious leaders to ensure there are not congregations coming together.'
The government will now turn towards a major decision - whether to relax the lockdown as planned in a fortnight, or extend it.
Ms Ardern says she won't make a decision on that until the final days, with the benefit of extra information around the cases coming in.
It is likely that some towns or regions will be released from lockdown if no cases are found on their doorstep, returning New Zealand to a much-missed level of normalcy.
New Zealand has been in complete lockdown since Thursday 26 March to stop the spread of COVID-19 across the country(pictured: Police speak to passenger at Auckland International Airport)
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