Jacinda Ardern shows the Silver Lining: New Zealand Free of COVID19

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 9 June 2020

New Zealand’s PM Jacinda Ardern did a ‘little victory dance’ in her living room as New Zealand now takes a sigh of relief from corona, without even one patient in hospital or isolation.

New Zealand lifted all domestic restrictions on Monday after its last COVID-19 patient was given the green light, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealing she threw some moves around her living room when told about this great feat acheived.

The country was on a similar trajectory with the rest of the world, but in a swift, prime minister Jacinda Ardern, paid heed to the health professionals in the country and introduced a 4 level ’lockdown’ period and swiftly moved an entire country of 5 million to level 4. People were only allowed to step out of their homes for groceries, a walk or if their job was part of the list of essential works. A graph by John Hopkins University showed numbers of daily cases on a 7-day rolling average (vertical axis) by the number of days since 30 daily cases were first recorded (horizontal axis).

Asked about her reaction upon hearing the news, she replied: "I did a little dance" with baby daughter Neve.

"She was caught a little by surprise but she joined in, having absolutely no idea why I was dancing around the lounge."

"We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now," she said in a televised address, saying Kiwis had "united in unprecedented ways to crush the virus".

Although strict border controls will remain intact, Ardern said restrictions such as social distancing and limits on public gatherings were no longer needed.

With a population of five million, this South Pacific nation has had 1,154 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 22 deaths.

There have been no new infections in the last 17 days and, until Monday, just one active case for more than a week.

The records of the final patient were not made public for privacy reasons, but sources say it’s a woman aged in her 50s who was linked to a cluster at an Auckland nursing home.

Ardern said the sacrifices made by New Zealanders, including a drastic seven-week lockdown that helped curb infection rates, had been fruitful now that there were no active cases in the country.

New Zealand's dropping to to Level 1, the lowest rating on its four-tier virus response system, will mean nightclubs can operate without dance floor restrictions and theatres will reopen.

Sporting events too can proceed with crowds in the stands, a change New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said offered its Super Rugby Aotearoa competition the opportunity to achieve a world first when it kicks off this weekend.

"We're incredibly proud, and grateful, to be the first professional sports competition in the world to be in a position to have our teams play in front of their fans again," NZR chief executive Mark Robinson said.

Besides, Ardern said easing restrictions would soothe the hit that New Zealand's economy had taken due to the pandemic.

"We now have a head start on economic recovery because at level one we become one of the most open, if not the most open, economies in the world," she said.

For one thing, Jacinda’s prompt decision making and an open mind & ears pulled the country out of a catastrophe, setting examples to the world. While the world leaders contemplate, some even giving up, on this crisis, a country like New Zealand has just given the much required hope.