New Zealand has reached a new milestone amid the pandemic as the country has reached 100 days of no COVID-19 transmission.
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According to the New York Post, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern enforced a strict lockdown throughout the country and closed all borders to foreign nationals after 100 people tested positive in March. New cases only emerged were travelers who returned to the country and were quarantined at the border. So far, there were 1,500 reported COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths after the lockdown.
Ardern announced in June that she was confident about the country completely eliminating the transmission of the virus:
“While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. Thank you, New Zealand. We are confident we have eliminated the transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort.”
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She has received praise for her progressive thinking in handling the virus as told by epidemiologist Michael Baker.
“It was good science and great political leadership that made the difference. If you look around the globe at countries that have done well, it’s usually that combination.”