New Zealand has successfully wiped out the coronavirus after the final person to have been infected recovered. Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said she was confident the country had halted the spread of the coronavirus but said it would almost certainly see more cases in the future. “We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort,” she told a news conference. “I do want to say again, we will almost certainly see cases here again, and that is not a sign that we have failed, it is a reality of this virus. But if and when that occurs we have to make sure, and we are, that we are prepared.”
She added that the focus will be directed towards the country’s borders where isolation and quarantine will continue. Just over 1,500 people contracted the virus in New Zealand, including 22 who died. It has been 17 days since the last new case was reported, with 40,000 tested in that time. Monday marked the first time since late February that there have been no active cases.