![]() ![]() The initial success was spearheaded by his predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, and as the harsh restrictions dragged on, public frustration grew over its impacts that separated families for months and shut out all almost all foreigners. The strict controls were not without political costs for New Zealand’s ruling Labour Party. “If New Zealand had had a similar rate of Covid-19 mortality as the United States, we would be reporting around 15,000 deaths from Covid,” he argued. Hipkins said 3,249 New Zealanders died from the coronavirus out of the country’s 5.1 million population. ![]() “The unity of the Kiwi response, and the sacrifices that were all commonplace all contributed to the many thousands of lives that were saved,” he said during a press briefing on Monday. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called the move a “significant milestone”. New Zealand plans to require large firms to report gender pay gaps (Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP) (Photo by MARTY MELVILLE/AFP via Getty Images) Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images New Zealand at midnight on March 26 imposed a four-week lockdown in a bid to smother coronavirus infection rates and avoid the mass fatalities seen elsewhere in the world. The normally-busy central business district (CBD) stands deserted after the Level 4 lockdown came into force, in Wellington on March 26, 2020. She also stressed that face masks remain an important means to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses in health and disability care facilities. “This, paired with the population’s immunity levels, means Cabinet and I am advised we’re positioned to safely remove the remaining COVID-19 requirements,” Verrall said.īut she said those who are “unwell or have tested positive for Covid-19” are advised to stay at home for five days. “While our case numbers will continue to fluctuate, we have not seen the dramatic peaks that characterized COVID-19 rates last year,” the health minister added.Ĭovid has put considerably less pressure on the health care system this winter, New Zealand’s current season, with cases accounting for just 2.2% of recent hospital admissions, according to the government. “It has been a long road, however thanks to lots of hard work, New Zealand’s COVID-19 approach has moved from an emergency response to sustainable long-term management,” Verrall said in a statement Monday. The early zero-Covid strategy significantly reduced the initial impact of the coronavirus outbreak, sparing New Zealand the widespread deaths and overloaded health care systems seen across much of the globe, including in the United States.īut it also kept the island nation closed off internationally and became increasingly unpopular as the rules dragged on and took a toll on the economy. New Zealand was something of a poster child for how nations could successfully fend off the coronavirus when it first hit in 2020, ordering early lockdowns and strict border measures. Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said the island nation was ending its remaining seven-day mandatory isolation rule for those who test positive for the coronavirus as well as mandatory masks in health care facilities from midnight on Tuesday. New Zealand scrapped the last of its Covid restrictions Tuesday, bringing the final curtain down on one of the world’s strictest pandemic policies as the government said the country suffered a far lower mortality rate than many other nations.
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