New Zealand appears to have completely eradicated the coronavirus

New Zealand appears to have completely eradicated the coronavirus for now after health officials on Monday said that the last known infected person had recovered.

As of Monday, New Zealand had no active COVID-19 cases and hadn’t recorded a new infection for 17 days.

The last case of the virus spreading from an unknown source occurred on April 30, according to data published by the Government’s Environment Science and Research Institute (ESR), reports stuff.co.nz.

The announcement was greeted with joy around the country and means the nation of 5 million people will be among the first to welcome throngs of fans back into sports stadiums, embrace crowded concerts and remove seating restrictions from flights.

New Zealand cricketer James Neesham congratulated his fellow citizens on the massive achievement and attributed their success to three things – planning, determination and teamwork.

Coronavirus free NZ! Congratulations everyone 😁

Once again those great kiwi attributes: planning, determination and teamwork do the job 🎉

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) June 8, 2020

Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed the media on Monday and said: “We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort.”

“We almost certainly will see cases here again, and I do want to say that again, we will almost certainly see cases here again, and that is not a sign that we have failed, it is a reality of this virus. But if and when that occurs we have to make sure — and we are — that we are prepared,” she added.

(With AP inputs)