City
Epaper

New Zealand declares itself coronavirus-free, to lift all restrictions by midnight today

By ANI | Updated: June 8, 2020 15:36 IST

New Zealand's health ministry on Monday said that it no longer has any active cases of the novel coronavirus.

Open in App

New Zealand's health ministry on Monday said that it no longer has any active cases of the novel coronavirus.

The last case of the disease was reported on May 22 in the country, which implemented one of the toughest lockdowns anywhere in the world, Al Jazeera reported.

There's a great deal of happiness for the Kiwis who have managed to stop community transmission of the coronavirus and will return to a near-normal life in a few hours. Globally, the picture doesn't seem quite so encouraging with the number of cases now in excess of 7 million and the Americas being the new epicentre of the pandemic.

Some countries are looking to reopen though - the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, loosened restrictions on Monday morning.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earlier today announced that New Zealand will lift its last remaining restrictions to curb the coronavirus at midnight (12:00 GMT) when the country will return to Level 1 on its four-level system of alerts.

Ardern said New Zealand had introduced a strict lockdown 75 days ago with the aim of getting to a level "where life feels as normal as it can in the midst of a global pandemic. Today, I can announce that the cabinet has agreed we can now move to Level 1.

International borders will remain closed given the challenge of COVID-19 around the world.

"There's no denying this is a milestone," Ardern said.

"Thank you, New Zealand," she concluded.

The last Covid-infected patient was released from isolation after showing no symptoms for 48 hours.

"This is really good news for the person concerned and it's also something the rest of New Zealand can take heart from," Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said in a statement.

( With inputs from ANI )

Tags: JakartaKiwisAl JazeeraNew Zealand
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalEarthquake in New Zealand: Quake of Magnitude 6.8 Hits Riverton Coast

MumbaiMumbai Shocker: A Female posted at Australian Navy Molested In Mumbai, Accused Driver Arrested

CricketNZ vs PAK 2025: Hasan Nawaz Breaks Ex-Captain Babar Azam's Record of Scoring Fastest T20I Century For Pakistan

CricketNZ vs PAK 3rd T20I 2025: Hasan Nawaz Sets New Powerplay Record for Pakistan in T20Is

CricketIndia Wins Champions Trophy 2025: Fans in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi Celebrate India’s Victory With Firecrackers, and Waving Flags (Watch Video)

International Realted Stories

InternationalUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio urges 'immediate de-escalation', says State Dept spokesperson

InternationalUS says its message to India, Pak is to ed-escalate and talk

InternationalFact Check: Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir Arrested Amid Escalating Tensions With India?

InternationalAmerican Robert Prevost Named As New Pope, To Be Known As Pope Leo XIV; Trump Among First To Offer Congratulations

InternationalNo requests for UN Security Council meeting