“There is now a 95% chance that the cluster will be eliminated,” said Jacinda Ardern.
Wellington:
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that New Zealand was “beating the virus again” and announced that restrictions in the country’s largest city would be relaxed, after a second wave of Covid-19 was contained.
The virus was reportedly eradicated in late May after a strict national lockdown allowed New Zealanders to enjoy 102 days without community transmission.
But a new cluster emerged in Auckland in August, forcing the city of 1.5 million people into self-isolation for nearly three weeks.
With no new confirmed case in Auckland for 12 days, Ardern said on Monday the virus was now under control and praised residents for enduring the second lockdown.
“It felt longer and carried over into what was already starting to feel like a very long year,” she said.
“But despite this, Aucklanders and New Zealanders have stuck to the plan which has worked twice now and defeated the virus again.”
Ardern said that on Wednesday evening Auckland would join the rest of New Zealand at level one, the lowest rating in the government’s four-tier virus alert system.
As part of the change, there are no restrictions on social gatherings, allowing the second test of the Bledisloe Cup in Auckland on October 18 to be played in front of a full stadium at Eden Park.
“It is good news that (Auckland fans) will be able to enjoy the rugby test match,” New Zealand Rugby said in a statement.
New Zealand recorded just 25 deaths from Covid-19 out of a population of five million, including 40 active cases in the country on Monday.
But Ardern, who faces a general election on Oct. 17, has warned that success cannot be taken for granted.
She highlighted a drop in the use of the official Covid-19 tracking app and a drop in the numbers of virus tests.
“A resurgence of the virus is not our only concern, the resurgence of complacency is there too,” Ardern said.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
