The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern said that the country in the process of turning a corner with its battle against the coronavirus after the country recorded its lowest number of new cases this week.

Ardern said this is due to residence in the country putting up a wall of defence to help bring an end to the transmission of the virus after the country put lockdown measures in place. To date, New Zealand has had 992 cases confirmed of COVID-19 with only one dying. As a result, a very low number considering the impact this virus has had in the world.

On Thursday, health officials in New Zealand recorded 29 new cases, and that resulted in the country seeing its fourth day of seeing a drop in reported cases and a direct sign that its transmission in the country is flatlining. The Prime Minister that if things continue with this pattern that the government may reduce the lock down next week so that some people can return to work but that social distancing rules will remain in place.

New Zealand Went into Lockdown Early

On the 26th of March, New Zealand went into lockdown after the government put in restrictions to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. At the same time, New Zealand announced a state of emergency that remains in place as well as an Epidemic Notice to ensure that all essential government business remains operational. That order resulted in the closure of cinemas, bars, playgrounds and restaurants.

In addition, all schools were closed as was the banning of all public events. However, essential services, such as pharmacies and supermarkets, were permitted to remain open. These measures are expected to remain for another four weeks. Ardern has warned that those who ignore the restrictions will be given zero leniency with police in place to enforce if required.

As New Zealand is in lockdown due to the coronavirus, checkpoints have been put in place throughout the country to make sure residents are only travelling for essential reasons only. This is especially relevant as the Easter weekend is in full swing due to its being a popular time of the year that many use to go on holiday. The current Level 4 restrictions require all people to remain at home as of the 25th when the lockdown took effect.

The Prime Minister stated that the strict adherence by New Zealanders to the rules put in place has been directly responsible for saving lives. She added that the country is at the half-way mark and she is not the least hesitant in stating that the results of the actions taken by New Zealanders has been huge.