Many countries are still fighting to keep Covid-19 under control, but New Zealand officially has no cases on the island. This past Wednesday they decided to raise the restrictions after having ten days without new cases in the city of Auckland. Citizens will no longer have to social distance, restrict gatherings, or wear masks while being in public.

This all was made possible by having a strict lockdown that was able to stop the spread of the virus. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been listening to science-based strategies by having the people go into strict lockdown so the country can go back to normal. Since the population of the country is small and the people have been able to manage to stop the spread, it has been easy to have a low number of deaths in the country.

Other countries like India, the United States, and Brazil have been receiving a second wave of the disease after reopening the country quickly. Their leaders have been even infected with Covid-19 since they are not taking the whole virus seriously. President Donald Trump tweeted “I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of COVID. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!” This sparked a lot of backlash towards the President and shows how he does not take the virus seriously. This disease has already killed over 200,000 people in the country and it could have been prevented if the President enforced more restrictions.

Since New Zealand has been enforcing such strict lockdowns, they have seen the best economic response during this global pandemic. They have been able to keep things up with contract tracing, lots of testing, and quarantining. Also, people have been required to sign into the place they visit and keep up with good hygiene practices. National borders have been closed to all travelers to contain the spread. All of these procedures have kept the citizens relieved because they were able to return to normal life, unlike most countries.

New Zealand will continue to successfully push a strategy to eliminate Covid-19 and the officials hope more people go out to and enjoy themselves since the restrictions are not currently enforced. Hopefully, everything keeps running smoothly for the country, and they do not let their guard down on the virus so the citizens can continue to experience normal life and a stable economy.

To stay updated on how New Zealand is containing Covid-19, you can check out the link here: https://covid19.govt.nz/