New Zealand has lifted almost all of its coronavirus restrictions after reporting no active cases in the country.

At midnight local time (12:00 GMT), all of New Zealand moved to level one, the lowest of a four-tier alert system.

Under new rules, social distancing is not required and there are no limits on public gatherings, but borders remain closed to foreigners.

New Zealand has reported no new Covid-19 cases for more than two weeks.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters she did "a little dance" when she was told the country no longer had any active virus cases.

"While we're in a safer, stronger position, there's still no easy path back to pre-Covid life, but the determination and focus we have had on our health response will now be vested in our economic rebuild," Ms Ardern said.

"While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. So can I finish with a very simple, 'Thank you, New Zealand'."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-52961539

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They call one section of the stadium The Zoo, and it’s easy to see why: thousands of university students in team colors standing on their seats, steadying trays of beer, swaying to music and erupting with joy when their team scores.

“Craziness,” is how 20-year-old student Charlotte Power described the scene. “Dancing, partying. Hopefully no fights.”

New Zealand on Saturday became one of the first nations in the world to welcome hordes of fans back into a packed sports stadium, thanks to the country’s remarkable success in eliminating the coronavirus.

After instituting a strict lockdown in March, New Zealand has not reported any new cases of the coronavirus for more than three weeks, and says all those who contracted the disease have now recovered. Earlier in the week, the country removed just about every remaining virus restriction, with the notable exception of keeping the border closed.

That meant there were no masks or social distancing required when more than 20,000 fans poured into the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin to watch Saturday’s match between the local Highlanders and the Chiefs, who had traveled from Hamilton.

https://apnews.com/d47ede495574d8096e73074bcc16cc40

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It has now been 22 days since New Zealand recorded its last case of Covid-19, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry's Saturday update shows the country remains on track to eliminate the disease in the coming week.

According to the Ministry of Health, elimination does not mean eradicating the virus permanently.

New Zealand moved to coronavirus Alert Level 1 during the past week, and all restrictions on our normal freedoms were lifted.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/121819900/coronavirus-new-zealand-has-now-gone-22-days-without-any-new-covid19-cases

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New Zealand appears to have completely eradicated the coronavirus -- at least for now -- after health officials said Monday the last known infected person had recovered.

The announcement was greeted with joy around the country and means the nation of 5 million people will be among the first to welcome throngs of fans back into sports stadiums, embrace crowded concerts and remove seating restrictions from flights.

It has been 17 days since the last new case was reported, during which time an additional 40,000 people have been tested, bringing the total number tested to about 300,000. Monday marked the first time since late February there have been no active cases.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/new-zealand-has-eradicated-coronavirus-report

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Covid-19 has likely become less potent as it mutates over time, and hopefully one day will become a common cold virus, a New Zealand, London-based professor says. 

New Zealander Gary McLean, a professor in molecular immunology at London Metropolitan University, told Sunday Morning he was inclined to believe Zangrillo, whose claim was backed up by a second doctor from northern Italy who said he was also seeing the coronavirus weaken.

"They've experienced the full gamut of this virus and the effects and I think we have to believe what they're saying, the clinical picture that is. If they're seeing reduced severity there must be something to it. 

"It's really difficult to know why exactly at this point, because there's a lot of reasons why it could be and there's no scientific literature, peer-reviewed papers that really document this, but if the clinicians are saying that I have to think it's probably real."

The virus may well have changed or attenuated causing a change in the clinical picture, McLean said. 

"I would probably favour that in some way the virus is attenuating itself, just by accumulating mutations over time…and these little mutations accumulate and eventually the virus has had long enough in that host, in humans, it will drift and change slightly," McLean said. 

Gary McLean said there were 40 known coronaviruses, including seven which have infected humans, including four which are endemic cold viruses which cause relatively mild symptoms. 

"One could argue originally those four might have been similar to SARS1, MERS and SARS2, and they attenuated themselves and became just a mild common cold."

One of the endemic strains, OC43, has been mapped back in time and the common ancestor is a cow coronavirus thought to have jumped into humans in 1890, McLean said. 

"And coincidentally in 1890 there was a world-wide pandemic of a respiratory disease that killed one million people. And you can put one and one together and assume OC43 may have come from a pandemic and over the next 130 years it's evolved into a very mild, common cold virus," McLean said. 

"And I'm hoping it doesn't take 130 years for this one to get that mild, but let's say it might take a year or so and we're going to have another common cold coronavirus. 

"So I'd like to predict that but I don't know for sure if that will happen."

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2018749596/covid-19-we-have-to-assume-the-virus-has-attenuated

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New Zealand could lift its remaining restrictions on social distancing and group gatherings next week, after recording no new coronavirus cases for an 11th consecutive day.

"Our strategy of go hard, go early has paid off," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday.

"In moving to level one so soon, we will be one of the first countries in the world to have experienced a COVID-19 outbreak and then return to that level of normality so quickly."

Ms Ardern said the cabinet will make a decision on 8 June, earlier than the planned date of 22 June, having navigated her country to the verge of eliminating the coronavirus.

New Zealand recorded no new cases for an 11th consecutive day on Tuesday and has just one active case.

The country's success at controlling the virus is largely because of a strict lockdown enforced for nearly seven weeks, which saw most businesses closed and everyone except essential workers having to stay at home.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-new-zealand-could-lift-all-lockdown-restrictions-next-week-after-11-straight-days-with-no-new-cases-11999176

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New Zealand has zero COVID-19 patients in the hospital and has not registered a new case for 6 days, the health ministry said today.

The last hospital patient was discharged in Auckland overnight in the latest mark of victory for New Zealand’s internationally-praised response to the pandemic.

New Zealand only confirmed its first case on February 26, but had shut its borders by March 19 and started implementing a complete lockdown on March 26.

The nation’s success means the lockdown could be practically lifted within weeks, with gatherings of up to 100 already allowed and plans being made to resume travel to Australia.

https://hwnews.in/international/new-zealand-discharges-last-covid-patient-hospital/138063

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Only eight active cases of the coronavirus remain in New Zealand, while the death toll has risen to 22, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.

Director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield on Thursday announced no new Covid-19 cases for the sixth straight day, with the number of confirmed and probable cases remaining at 1504.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/121652723/coronavirus-only-eight-covid19-cases-left-in-new-zealand-after-another-zero-day

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New Zealand does not have a single person in hospital with Covid-19, as the country marks five consecutive days without a new case.

At the latest Covid-19 update, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the one person who had been in hospital with the coronavirus had been discharged, meaning there was no longer anybody receiving hospital care for it.

"I think this is the first time, at least probably in a couple of months, that we haven't had somebody in hospital, so that's another good position to be in."

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/417651/no-new-cases-of-covid-19-nobody-in-hospital-with-the-coronavirus

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New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern has suggested employers consider a four-day working week and other flexible working options as a way to boost tourism and help employees address persistent work/life balance issues.

In a Facebook live video Ardern said people had suggested everything from the shorter work week to more public holidays as a means to stimulate the economy and encourage domestic tourism, while the borders remain closed to foreign nationals.

The prime minister’s informal comments have excited New Zealanders, many of whom are questioning whether seismic, systemic change will result from the pandemic – or whether life will return to normal; with its associated problems.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/20/jacinda-ardern-flags-four-day-working-week-as-way-to-rebuild-new-zealand-after-covid-19?CMP=share_btn_tw

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