New Zealand to lift all coronavirus restrictions as last patient discharged

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In this April 17, 2020 file photo, shoppers line up at a pop-up community Covid-19 testing station at a supermarket carpark in Christchurch, New Zealand. — AP
In this April 17, 2020 file photo, shoppers line up at a pop-up community Covid-19 testing station at a supermarket carpark in Christchurch, New Zealand. — AP

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that all coronavirus measures in the country will be lifted from Tuesday, barring border closure restrictions, as the virus had been eliminated from the country, Reuters reported.

The country would move to national alert level 1 from midnight on Monday, Ardern said in a news conference.

She said public and private events can go on without restrictions, retail and hospitality sectors can operate normally, and all public transport can resume.

According to AFP, New Zealand has no active Covid-19 cases after the country's final patient was given the all clear and released from isolation.

“Having no active cases for the first time since February 28 is certainly a significant mark in our journey but, as we've previously said, ongoing vigilance against Covid-19 will continue to be essential,” health department director-general Ashley Bloomfield said in a statement.

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