New Zealand records 100 days without a new domestic coronavirus case

Jacinda Ardern.
(Image credit: Michael Bradley/AFP via Getty Images)

New Zealand's Ministry of Health on Sunday reported that the country hasn't had any new cases of coronavirus due to community transmission in 100 days.

This is a "significant milestone," Director-General of Heath Dr. Ashley Bloomfield said, but he warned that people "can't afford to be complacent. 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."

The country has had 1,219 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and there are now 23 people with active cases who are in managed isolation facilities, the Ministry of Health said. New Zealand's borders are closed to nearly everyone, and the new cases that have been recently reported are tied to individuals who were able to enter the country.

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New Zealand reacted quickly to the pandemic, going into lockdown on March 25. Since June 8, the country has been at Alert Level 1, meaning the disease is contained inside New Zealand but "uncontrolled overseas," CBS News reports. Under Alert Level 1 guidelines, schools and workplaces are open and there are no restrictions on gatherings or domestic travel.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.