New Zealand hit the hundred-day mark on Sunday without any new coronavirus contamination, even though health officials have warned that letting down is out of the question.
There are currently 23 cases of people carrying Covid-19 in the Oceania archipelago but they have all been detected at the border, on entering the country, and are in quarantine.
“Reaching 100 days without transmission in the population is an important step, however, as we all know, we cannot afford the slightest neglect,” said Director of Health Ashley Bloomfield.
“We have seen abroad how quickly the virus can reappear and spread to places where it was previously under control, and we must be prepared to quickly curb any new cases in the future in New Zealand,” he said. he added.
New Zealand, which has a population of five million, has had 1,219 confirmed cases of coronavirus since February, with the last diagnosed on May 1. She deplores 22 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has judged the country to be exemplary for having “successfully eliminated transmission in the population”.
New Zealand closed its borders on March 19. They are now strictly controlled: anyone arriving in the country must observe a quarantine of 14 days.
New Zealanders have returned to an almost normal way of life, without social distancing and with an authorized audience at sporting and cultural events.
In the event of a second wave, the government has requested that all households keep emergency supply kits that include masks.