New Zealand's daily coronavirus cases cross 200 for first time in pandemic

New Zealand's 206 new daily community infections on Saturday carried it past the double-hundred mark for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, as the nation scrambles to vaccinate its population of 5 million.

The most populous city of Auckland, which reported 200 of the new cases, has lived under COVID-19 curbs for nearly three months as it battles an outbreak of the infectious Delta variant, although restrictions are expected to ease on Monday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she wanted Auckland residents to be able to travel for the southern hemisphere summer and Christmas.

"We will not keep Aucklanders isolated to Auckland through that period - we simply cannot do that," Ardern told a news conference at the national gathering of her Labor Party.

Saturday's cases served to remind people of the importance of vaccination as the number one protection against the virus, the health ministry said in a statement.

It said 78% of New Zealanders aged 12 and above had been fully vaccinated, while 89% had a first dose by Friday.

Once praised globally for stamping out COVID-19, New Zealand has been unable to vanquish the Delta outbreak in Auckland, forcing Ardern to abandon a strategy of eliminating the virus in favor of efforts to live with it.

Still, it has fared far better than many other countries, with tough curbs that kept infections to just under 7,000 and a toll of 31 deaths.

-reuters

New Zealand reaches 100-day milestone without virus transmission

WELLINGTON - New Zealand marked 100 days on Sunday with no recorded cases of the coronavirus in the community but health officials warned there was no room for complacency. 

There are still 23 active cases but all were detected at the border when entering the country and are being held in managed isolation facilities.

"Achieving 100 days without community transmission is a significant milestone, however, as we all know, we can't afford to be complacent," director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield said. 

"We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand." 

New Zealand, with a population of five million, has won widespread praise for its effective handling of the coronavirus since closing its borders on March 19. 

The World Health Organization has hailed the country as an example to others for having "successfully eliminated community transmission". 

Since the first patient was diagnosed in February, there have been 1,219 confirmed cases of the virus in New Zealand with the last case of community transmission recorded on May 1.

As a result, New Zealanders are enjoying a near-normal, pre-coronavirus lifestyle with no social distancing and spectators allowed at sports and cultural events, but with the border strictly controlled and all arrivals required to spend 14 days in quarantine. 

The government has maintained the prospect of a second wave remains a possibility and is pushing for all households to keep emergency supply kits including masks.

Agence France-Presse

Crewcuts and catch-ups as New Zealand lockdown ends

WELLINGTON - New Zealanders mingled with friends and hit the shopping malls for the first time in seven weeks Thursday as a national lockdown ended and businesses faced a "new normal" minimizing the constant threat of coronavirus.

A long-awaited haircut was the top priority for many Kiwis after almost two months in isolation, with queues of tangle-headed customers forming at barbers before dawn.


Thursday's changes, which put New Zealand at Level Two on its four-tier alert system, also allow Kiwis to break their quarantine "bubble" and meet up with friends and wider family members.

"People are looking to get back to normal and being at Level Two will allow everybody to at least function to a degree," retailer Mike Leigh told AFP.

Downtown streets in Wellington were once again jammed with traffic, although the usual crush on the capital's commuter trains was non-existent.

Instead, red and green stickers were plastered on seats, indicating where passengers could sit while still maintaining social distancing.

The city's main railway station smelled strongly of disinfectant as cleaners mopped and scrubbed between each influx of office workers.

Outside the station, Leigh stood at a makeshift stall selling brightly colored face masks at NZ$15 (US$9) apiece. 

A carpenter by trade, he has not worked at his regular job since the lockdown began and spotted a gap in the market for facemasks, which were seldom worn in New Zealand before the pandemic. 

"It's been going pretty good, I've sold about eight or 10 of them this morning, my wife makes them," he said, adding "we'll probably have to get a website".

'NOT OUT OF THE WOODS'

At the suburban Queensgate shopping mall, there was extra security to ensure crowds did not congregate too closely before retailers raised their shutters for the first time since late March.

Shops prominently displayed the maximum number of customers allowed inside alongside signs proclaiming "one in, one out". 

New Zealand, with a population of five million, has recorded only 21 coronavirus deaths and kept new cases to single figures over the past month.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was hoping to catch up with her family face to face. 

"I'm actually really looking forward to giving my sister a hug. I haven't seen her for a couple of months because I haven’t been home," she said earlier this week.

But authorities have warned there is no place for complacency and businesses of all types must use logbooks to record customer details in case there is an outbreak.

There are also stringent protocols surrounding the use of personal protective equipment and sanitizers that are likely to remain in force long-term.

"It's not difficult, it's more a matter of not forgetting that I have to do it after every client," Wellington barber Dali Toma said, wiping down his chair.

Restaurateur Stephen Morris said the way his Mediterranean eatery Avida operated had fundamentally changed.

Capacity has been reduced by more than a third to 92, with tables removed to allow more space between customers, and staff numbers and opening hours cut.

Morris was concerned the upsurge in business as people celebrated the end of lockdown could be followed by a downturn as the economic impact of the pandemic sank in.

"We're very much the CBD crowd, but how many office blocks with be full?" he said.

"If they're working from home, then all of a sudden, we're not getting full... we're not out of the woods yet."

Agence France-Presse

New Zealand to stick with coronavirus curbs despite signs of improvement

SYDNEY - New Zealand will stick to its tough curbs to combat the coronavirus, despite some early signs the spread of the illness has been stabilizing, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.

The country's 67 new infections were the lowest in five days, taking its tally to just over 1,100. New Zealand has reported one death.

"Our actions for the remainder of the period in level four will be about doubling down to ensure the gains made in the first half are not squandered in the second," Ardern told reporters in Wellington.

Level-four curbs allow people to take walks or go to supermarkets for essentials, but they are required to stay 2 meters (7 ft) apart.

"I don't want New Zealand to be at level four for a minute longer than needed, but equally there is no plan to move from level four early," Ardern added.

New Zealand started a four-week total lockdown of its population of about 5 million late in March, and declared a national emergency to slow the spread of the virus.

People have been told to stay home with all non-essential services, schools and offices shut for a month, amid warnings that offenders face large fines and even jail.

New Zealand has fewer infections than many other countries, such as neighboring Australia, which has more than 5,700 infections, with five new deaths taking the toll to 40 on Monday.

Nearly half of New Zealand's cases were related to overseas travel, with cases of community transmission just about 2%.

The increase in cases was leveling off and exponential growth had been avoided, Ashley Bloomfield, the director-general of health, told a separate briefing.

"The only way to ensure the numbers will drop is to keep doing what we are doing," he said, adding that he wanted to see daily numbers drop before backing an easing of curbs.

-Reuters-