Ardern dances as she declares New Zealand free of virus

NEW ZEALAND’S prime minister danced in celebration when she learnt that Covid-19 had been eliminated in the country.

“We currently have no active cases in New Zealand,” Jacinda Ardern said, announcing her country would remove virus-related restrictions yesterday, 75 days after they were introduced.

“We united in unprecedented ways to crush the virus,” Ms Ardern said, adding that she celebrated when she heard the news. “I did a little dance [with yearold daughter Neve],” she said.

The country of five million reported 22 deaths and 1,504 Covid-19 cases since its first, on Feb 28. Modelling had predicted a much worse outcome.

“We were projected to have 4,000 cases, we had 1,000, one of the lowest rates per capita in the world,” she said.

In total, 40,000 people had been tested for the virus in the past 17 days with no confirmed cases. Altogether, 300,000 tests had been conducted.

While there are now no restrictions on weddings, nightclubs, shopping, domestic travel, mass gatherings or work, it remains law that people arriving in New Zealand must isolate in hotels, paid for by the government, for 14 days.

Ms Ardern said she was hopeful a “trans-tasman bubble” with Australia could be agreed soon, allowing citizens of both countries to travel without quarantining. However, with Australia still reporting 559 active cases, that would not happen immediately.

Google calculated movement of people in New Zealand was down 91 per cent. Oxford University’s stringency index rated its lockdown restrictions at 96.3, the only nation higher than 90.

After repeatedly telling New Zealanders to “stay safe and stay home” the prime minister said she was now encouraging people to go out, to travel, to open their wallets and spend.

Experts said testing would still be needed to continue the confidence that New Zealand was free of the virus.