HOW DID NEW ZEALAND GO CORONA FREE?
"Go hard and go early" ~ Jacinda Ardern (Prime Minister, New Zealand)
New Zealand has officially declared itself corona free and the entire world is going gaga over Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's amazing administration and management policies. "Go hard and Go Early" was Ardern's policy throughout the pandemic. Clearly, the entire nation stuck to it.
Needless to say, Jacinda Ardern is the epitome of vigilance. She made sure to implement strict lockdown in the very beginning, on 25 March 2020 to be precise, when there were only 205 Covid-19 cases reported.
"We have the opportunity to do something no other country has achieved: elimination of the virus," Ardern told reporters way back in April.
On Monday (8 June 2020), Ardern reported that there were no active cases in New Zealand. They have had no new cases in the hospital for 14 days now. The virus has claimed only 22 lives in New Zealand.
But how was New Zealand able to achieve such a great feat?
Well, New Zealand has been lucky in having the benefit of time since it is a remote island nation with fewer flight transits which is why the first positive case was reported on 28 February 2020 (way after the virus had spread throughout the other countries of the world).
Apart from having the opportunity to closely observe the mistakes of other nations, Jacinda Ardern displayed an impeccable management strategy that included strict lockdown, intensive testing of the residents, and effective communication to the citizens.
STRICT LOCKDOWN:
The nation underwent a solid lockdown regime which began with the closure of all borders and entry ports to the non-residents at 11: 59 pm on 19 March 2020. All citizens returning from different parts of the world were required to undergo institutional quarantine.
On 21 March 2020, the nation planned a four-level alert system to manage the havoc during the outbreak. Each level was based on the seriousness of the outbreak (Level 1 being the least serious and level 4 being the most serious):
Level 1 (Prepare): COVID-19 is uncontrolled abroad. The illness is contained in New Zealand, however, confined family transmissions could occur.
Level 2 (Reduce): The illness is contained, however, there is a danger of community transmission. Transmission within families could be happening, and there might be single or secluded group flare-ups.
Level 3 (Restrict): It is likely the illness isn't contained. Community transmissions might be happening, and there may also be flare-ups among new groups.
Level 4 (Eliminate): The disease is not contained and is at its peak. Community transmissions and widespread outbreaks are occurring throughout the nation. Individuals are expected to remain at home.
Initially, the nation was on level 2 but was the level was eventually increased to level 3 on 23rd March 2020 followed by implementation of a level 4 nationwide lockdown on 25 March 2020.
Travelling was fringed as a measure to limit the danger of bringing in COVID-19 cases.
INTENSIVE TESTING:
New Zealand increased its rate of testing which proved to be the best way of keeping track of probable sources of the transmission in the nation. New Zealand has done 247,295 tests up until now (at the rate of 8,000 tests per day on an average). For correlation, the United Kingdom - a nation with a population roughly 12 times that of New Zealand carried out only 719,910 tests.
(FUN FACT: India performs approximately 1 lakh tests per day!).
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION:
Before the lockdown being executed, messages were sent to inhabitants with clear instructions of what the level 4 lockdown would involve.
“This message is for all of New Zealand. We are depending on you,” the message read. “Where you stay tonight is where you must stay from now on … it is likely that level 4 measures will stay in place for a number of weeks.” ~ quoted by CNBC. Like any other nation, New Zealand had violators as well. The defaulters were subjected to suitable punishment.
Now the real deal lies in the question: 'Can India learn something from New Zealand?'
This question cannot have a pinpointed answer mostly because India and New Zealand are different in a lot of ways! For instance, Geography has played a major role in New Zealand’s success. The island nation has more control over who can come in than a country like India with large, porous land borders.
Also, Come on guys... Compare the population!... New Zealand has a population of 48.2 lakhs and India has a population of 135.26 CRORES!!!!!
Unlock 1.0 in India may not have been a wise decision. But don't lose hope just yet! Stay safe. Stay home.
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