New Zealand has claimed victory over the coronavirus pandemic and opened much of the economy, government officials announced Monday, according to National Public Radio. However, their reopening looks similar to safe-at-home guidelines in states like Utah.
“There is no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand. We have won that battle,” said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday. “But we must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way.”
New Zealand reported no new coronavirus cases on Sunday and only a handful Monday, after numbers steadily fell all month. Ashley Bloomfield, the country’s director of general health, said some new cases are expected, but contract tracing would make those cases manageable.
Around 123,000 people have been tested. The island nation of 5 million people has seen eight consecutive days of single-digit positive tests for new cases of COVID-19, the New Zealand Herald reported.
The country has established a robust contact tracing system that can place up to 10,000 daily calls to people who may have been exposed to the virus through direct or indirect interaction with confirmed cases.
While much of the economy will reopen, that is limited to essential services and “contactless” businesses — those where payment, pickup and delivery of goods is made without interacting with other people.
Businesses and occupations that require personal interaction — like salespeople, hairdressers, masseuses and public gyms — will not return to work, according to NPR. Employees must remain three feet apart and should still work from home if possible.
New Zealand has almost 1,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and 19 pandemic-related deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins tally on Monday.