Queen Elizabeth reportedly phoned Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand to "catch up" and check in on them as they dealt with the coronavirus pandemic. The phone call came as the country has started to loosen up its safety measures against COVID-19 as New Zealand seems to have successfully lowered their cases of infection.
Ardern shared a photo of her on the phone with the Queen on her social media accounts. She said that the phone call happened a few days ago and that Her Majesty wanted to catch up and check on how the country was doing.
"It was such a treat to speak with Her Majesty tonight," Ardern said. "Her affection for New Zealand, her interest in what's happening here and her memory of places and events that are special to us never ceases to amaze me."
In early April, Queen Elizabeth also sent a special message to the Kiwis. Her Majesty said that she was praying for them and she also thanked those who have been in the frontlines to serve the public.
According to CNN, New Zealand's novel coronavirus cases have been in the single digits for several days. The country has only about 1,500 cases with 19 deaths in total since the virus was first reported.
Ardern has been hailed by the world for her approach to battling coronavirus. She quickly enforced the closure of the borders and quarantined those arriving in the country.
The prime minister also ordered massive testing and contact tracing. Bars, restaurants, public recreation areas, offices and schools were shut down by March 26 as well.
The country has not had any widespread community transmission in days, perhaps also owing to its remote locations. However, Ardern reminded her countrymen not to be complacent and to still observe social distancing measures as they move from Level 4 to Level 3 of their lockdown.
This means that retail stores and restaurants may restart their business via delivery, drive-thru and contactless pick-up. Workers will still be asked to work from home, except those in essential services.
"We are opening up the economy, but we're not opening up people's social lives," the prime minister said.
New Zealand will stick with the Level 3 lockdown for two weeks and review their next movements until then. Ardern said that the goal is to eliminate the virus so that they can all return to their "pre-COVID-19 life."
