New Zealand may offer valuable lessons on how to curb the spread of the virus as countries around the world grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic.
New Zealand is now free of the coronavirus outbreak with no active Covid-19 cases. The South Pacific nation became one of the first countries to eradicate the transmission of the deadly virus.
Apart from lifting all containment measures except for border curbs, the New Zealand government will drop social distancing norms as it moves to a level 1 national alert from Level 2, PM Ardern said addressing a press meet.
Few things India needs to implement:
- Use of fabric face masks - The composition of fabric masks is beneficial. Even simple fabric face masks are now secure, according to researches. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has also updated its guidelines to advise fabric face masks in common areas where there is a chance of transmission.
- Strict lockdown implementation – The Modi-led NDA government should continue to enforce strict lockdown restrictions in place, keeping businesses shut, in which everyone except essential workers should stay at home. The New Zealand government has pursued an elimination strategy to beat the Covid-19 pandemic, rather than just aiming to curb the infection.
- Ensure contact tracing effectiveness – Contact tracing was one of the critical measured undertaken by the New Zealand government to achieve the milestone. India should join hands too for potential digital tools to enhance the process, albeit with appropriate privacy safeguards built-in.
New Zealand beats Covid-19
With around 5 million people, New Zealand has won praise for its handling of the pandemic. It has emerged from the pandemic, while big economies such as Brazil, Britain, India, and the United States grapple with the spreading virus.
No active cases were reported in the country for the first time since the virus arrived in New Zealand in late February, the health ministry said. New Zealand has reported 1,154 infections and 22 deaths from the infection.
India's Covid-19 count crosses 2.56 lakh
India reported 9,983 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total count to over 2.56 lakh. With the recent number of coronavirus cases, the tally now stands at 256,611.
