New Zealand has no COVID-19 related hospitalizations and has reported no new infections as announced by the country's Ministry Of Health on Wednesday. The last patient who recovered from the virus was discharged from the Middlemore Hospital in Auckland.
The Ministry also said that the country has 1,462 recovered patients in total with only 21 active cases this week who are either on home quarantine or haven't shown aggravated symptoms. To put that in perspective, New Zealand only had a total of 1,500 confirmed cases and only 21 deaths.
To date, the country has conducted 267,435 coronavirus tests since the outbreak began. Contact tracers are still working to monitor and track the remaining cases.
The good news does not mean, however, that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern can now rest. The woman, whose leadership is being praised by people from all over the world, has just announced funding for her country's culture and arts sector.
While most of the countries are still at a loss on how to maintain their health systems amid billions of spending and how to recover economically, Ardern is steps ahead. She is now reviving New Zealand's arts sector with more than $70 million budget divided among eight culture and arts-related organizations in the country. The amount is only the initial tranche for the overall budget allocated for the arts sector. Ardern said the money should be used in creating more jobs and innovating ways compatible to the new normal.
"The cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic... They're also a place where people get a lot of wellbeing," Ardern said in one interview.
"Museums, galleries and heritage sites closed, and individual artists and arts organizations like dance and theatre companies saw their incomes decimated almost overnight," she said further.
Ardern is also in talks with her Australian counterpart on possible Trans-Tasman travel bubble, an initiative that will allow tourists to travel to and from New Zealand and Australia. The arrangement is expected to begin in September.
As part of the plans, the two governments established the Trans-Tasman Safe Border group, a 40-strong expert panel each representing different sectors in the travel industry. The experts are from government agencies, airports, airlines, and health agencies.
New Zealand also continues to launch other initiatives to consistently stop the virus from coming back in the country. On Wednesday, the government launched an app where health care workers can access new information and development regarding the treatment and management of the virus.
The country remains alert against the possible second wave of the virus with the government maintaining the strict alert level two even with the positive development at present.
New Zealand has won the fight against the virus as early as April when it stopped widespread community transmission of the virus. Around that time, Ardern and other top government officials pledged 20% pay cut that will last for six months.
