New Zealanders are celebrating now as tough COVID-19 lockdown measures were lifted in the country as of 12:00 GMT on June 8. The announcement came as the country reported no new COVID-19 cases for more than two weeks now.
By now, New Zealanders are no longer required to follow social distancing although Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it is still highly encouraged. Public gatherings are allowed fully, including weddings, and funerals. Public transportations are operational. Schools and workplaces are also now business as usual.
The only policy that has yet to be lifted are closures of borders. The country is still close to foreign travelers. All New Zealanders coming from overseas are still required to undergo a 14-day quarantine period.
New Zealand is being praised for its prompt response against the pandemic. Now, as big economies such as the United States and the United Kingdom are grappling amid mounting infections and deaths, New Zealanders are already breathing a sigh of relief.
New Zealand's success against the virus is attributed to the Ardern's implementation of strict quarantine only days after the country recorded its first case. Prompt travel restrictions and widespread testing have brought the fight against coronavirus into its current success as well.
New Zealand has actually been winning the fight even prior to its lifting of lockdown. The country has only recorded 1,154 confirmed cases and 22 deaths all throughout the months the coronavirus is ravaging the world.
Meanwhile, as if on cue, New Zealanders were blessed with a view of a meteor streak on Tuesday morning. The meteor was seen across the South Island and Wellington. The celestial event is not only special because it happened as the country goes back to normal but also because the meteor was very low. According to witnesses the meteor was bright and flashed green as it burned up.
In her speech, Ardern said the success does not mean that they also eradicated the possibility of a virus comeback.
"While we're in a safer, stronger position, there's still no easy path back to pre-Covid life, but the determination and focus we have had on our health response will now be vested in our economic rebuild," Ardern said.
"While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. So can I finish with a very simple, 'Thank you, New Zealand'," the jubilant prime minister told her audience.
The rest of the world is far from what New Zealand has achieved. According to an update from the World Health Organization on Monday, the world recorded the most COVID-19 cases in a single day last Sunday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebryesus said more than 136,000 cases were reported that day. It was almost 75% of all reported cases but had only come from 10 countries. The Americas and South Asia accounted for most of the spike in cases.
