Jacinda Ardern Looks Set To Scrap All Social Distancing Measures In NZ By Next Week

In wild scenes that give at least a small glimmer of hope for us over here in Australia, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will almost certainly be lifting all remaining coronavirus social distancing restrictions in the country next week.

New Zealand’s hard-line, aggressive approach to eliminating the virus appears to have worked, with just one active case remaining in the country. The unidentified Aucklander, aged in their 50s, is in isolation. The country has recorded 11 straight days without a positive test result, and will have effectively eliminated all cases of the virus completely by the end of this week if that trend continues.

That could lead Ardern to rolling back New Zealand’s COVID-19 response to Level 1, which would mean all remaining social restriction limitations – including those on businesses and mass public gatherings – would be lifted.

The New Zealand Government had previously agreed to discuss moving back to Level 1 on June 22nd. The country’s response to the virus – which has defied expectations – has allowed them to pull that meeting forward to June 8.

Ardern fronted media yesterday, stating “Our strategy of go hard, go early has paid off … and in some cases, beyond expectations. We will be one of the first countries in the world to return to this level of normality so quickly.”

New Zealand’s coronavirus response was based on an eradication model, rather than a curve-flattening one, and involved a hard-line country-wide lockdown which lasted seven weeks. During that time, almost all businesses were forced to close, and all non-essential workers were ordered to remain at home.

As a result, Kiwis could soon be returning to a world as close to normal as humanly possible, with only international borders and some contact track-and-trace operations remaining.

Strict hygiene and health protocols will remain in place, but bans on things like large indoor and outdoor gatherings will be repealed. That means that capacity caps at bars and pubs will be lifted, as will spacing requirements in those venues. Fans will also potentially be allowed back into stadiums for sporting events, with little-to-no distancing requirements in place regarding seating.

Gatherings of up to 100 people were permitted in New Zealand last Friday, and officials are closely monitoring the situation. Any new cases in the country would see tighter restrictions reimplemented immediately, however officials remain openly optimistic that the country has, effectively, beaten the virus.

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