New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says that the island nation has defeated — for the present — the coronavirus as her government announced the lifting of most restrictions imposed to halt the spread of COVID-19.
"There is no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand. We have won that battle," Ardern said Monday. "But we must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way."
Asked whether New Zealand had eliminated COVID-19, Ardern replied: "currently."
The coronavirus has been trending down in New Zealand since April 5, when 89 confirmed cases were announced. On Sunday, there were no new cases announced for the first time in weeks, but another five were reported on Monday. A total of 19 people have died in New Zealand from COVID-19.
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