Coronavirus News: One Country Says Virus Effectively 'Eliminated' After Strong Government Response

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters Monday that the country had effectively “eliminated” coronavirus as new cases drop to single digits. She said the government would begin lifting restrictions to slowly reopen New Zealand.

“There is no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand. We have won that battle,” Ardern said. “But we must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way.”

New Zealand had been trending downward in the number of new daily cases, with no new cases confirmed on Sunday. It went back up on Monday with five new cases, one confirmed and four probable, and one death from coronavirus. These brought the national totals to 1,122 cases and 19 deaths since the first confirmed case on Feb. 28.

New Zealand's Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield shared his pleasure at the low numbers and said officials were confident elimination goals had been reached.

“Our goal is elimination,” Bloomfield said. “And again, that doesn't mean eradication but it means we get down to a small number of cases so that we are able to stamp out any cases and any outbreak that might come out.”

After the first confirmed case Feb. 28, Ardern said on March 14 anyone entering from outside New Zealand had to self-isolate for two weeks. The number of confirmed cases had risen to six at the time of Ardern’s order. By March 20, she said foreigners were not allowed to enter the country for the time being. It ultimately escalated to a “Level 4” lockdown on March 25 which closed all non-essential businesses and officials told residents not leave there home except for “essential exercise” near one’s home.

Ardern and Bloomfield have been praised for their handling of the pandemic and an apparent openness when talking about it to the press. Ardern, especially, has been heralded for her leadership during the pandemic and effective communication with the public, including her frequent Facebook Live chats.

“She doesn’t peddle in misinformation; she doesn’t blame-shift; she tries to manage everyone’s expectations at the same time [as] she offers reassuring notes,” Victoria University of Wellington scholar Van Jackson told The Atlantic. “She uses the bully pulpit to cue society toward our better angels—‘Be kind to each other’ and that kind of thing. I think that’s more important than people realize and does trickle down into local attitudes.”

Bloomfield has drawn international attention for maintaining a calming demeanor for those following daily coronavirus briefings. This stands in contrast to other countries, most notably the U.S. and Brazil, where briefings have been described as “circus-like.”