After recording zero active COVID-19 cases across the country, New Zealand will lift all domestic lockdown restrictions at midnight tonight.
From Tuesday, Kiwis will be able to go to restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs like normal. Sports events, weddings, funerals and other gatherings will also be allowed without any restrictions.
“Today we are ready,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters on Monday afternoon.
Ardern said lowering the pandemic alert to Level 1 would be “where life feels as normal as it can in the time of a global pandemic.”
When she first heard there were no more active cases earlier today, Ardern told reporters she “did a little dance.” Of course she did.
Watch: .@jacindaardern says she ‘did a little dance’ when she found out New Zealand was Covid-19 free: https://t.co/6jZ6FoQsD1 pic.twitter.com/Qr3ZxLBPMT
— 1News (@1NewsNZ) June 8, 2020
Dancing aside, this doesn’t mean the country is totally in the clear just yet.
“We will almost certainly see cases here again, and that is not a sign that have failed, it is a reality of this virus,” she added.
Businesses will now have QR codes which people can voluntarily scan in order to leave their details for contact tracing purposes.
Meanwhile, Kiwis are still being urged to get tested for COVID-19 if they show any symptoms, as well as following hygiene advice, particularly as we come into winter.
“Our new normal at Level 1 will still include meticulous hand washing and cough etiquette, staying home if feeling unwell, testing and contact tracing,” said Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, senior public health researcher at the University of Otago.
For the time being borders will remain shut, with most experts agreeing international arrivals pose the biggest threat for spreading the virus again.
So while Aussies can’t visit just yet, we can still watch while Kiwis enjoy their first taste of the new normal.
