New Zealand becomes COVID-19 free

As the world continues to struggle in its battle against COVID-19, New Zealand has triumphantly declared itself free from the infectious disease. The country’s final patient was discharged, and the country now has zero active cases. 

Health Department Director-General Ashley Bloomfield informed about the milestone achieved by the nation. He said, “Having no active cases for the first time since February is an important mark in our journey but as we’ve previously said ongoing vigilance against COVID-19 will continue to be essential”.  

The world has praised New Zealand’s efforts. Its strict seven-week lockdown played a crucial role in containing the virus. The population of New Zealand is around five million, and it has reported 1,154 confirmed cases and 22 deaths. No new cases were recorded in the past 17 days. 

There was only one active case, and as it also got a negative remark, the country became COVID- 19 free. Regarding this Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to announce the country will move to alert Level 1. From midnight, life will return to normalcy. Public gatherings like funerals, hospitality and public transport will resume without any restrictions. 

Nevertheless, restrictions on international travel will continue. Ardern speaking in a conference said that she “did a little dance” in front of her daughter when she was informed about the achievement. She also said that the alert level-1 would be continued as a time for recovery. There are chances that cases might reappear. 

COUNTRIES WHICH WERE ALREADY COVID-19 FREE:
When the COVID-19 pandemic is giving a hard time to the world, there are some countries which did not have a single case. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, North Korea, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are the countries which did not record a single case of COVID-19.