Good evening John,
There are two pieces of good news that I’m happy to be able to share with you today. First, there are now no active cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand. Second, we announced today that as of midnight tonight, New Zealand will move down from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 1.
This means that New Zealanders can return to a life that feels as normal as it can in the time of a global pandemic. There will be no more physical distancing. No more gathering limits, and no more restrictions for hospitality. It means retail is back without limitations, and public transport and travel across the country will be fully opened up.
And, it is thanks to you. We were only able to make this decision because over the last 11 weeks, our team of 5 million has managed to achieve something that many believed would not be possible - we stayed home, we broke the chain of transmission and together, we saved thousands of lives.
When faced with the threat of a virus that was spreading rapidly around the world, taking people’s lives and taking people’s livelihoods, we knew that we had to go hard and to go early to protect New Zealand from the same kind of devastation we were seeing elsewhere.
And together, we’ve done just that. As we return to a life which looks much more normal, there is - of course - much still to do. We must also remain mindful of the global situation and recognise that the virus will be in our world for some time to come. We are confident we have eliminated the transmission of the virus in New Zealand for now, but elimination is not a point in time – it is a sustained effort. We almost certainly will see cases here again, but when that occurs it will not mean we have failed. We are prepared for future cases.
The global economic impacts of COVID-19 will, of course, be felt for some time, and as a Government, implementing our economic recovery plan to rebuild the economy is our top priority. We all have a part to play in this. I encourage you to buy, play and experience New Zealand-made. Consider it an extra form of support, to visit our country, buy our local products and support our local businesses.
Over the coming week, and beyond, I will be announcing more of the steps we’re taking to support jobs across the country, back our businesses and get the economy moving. But for now, I want to leave you with a final thank you, for helping us reach this milestone.
Thank you,
Jacinda <[link removed]>
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New Zealand Labour Party - New Zealand
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