New Zealand's government decided about going back to normal gradually from next week, as they plan to lift up the restrictions they imposed in order to hinder the spread of the coronavirus epidemic in the country.
The country is very famous for imposing harder lockdown measures than its neighbors and for being successful in terms of controlling the pandemic. At the moment there are around 1,440 confirmed infection cases and a death toll of 12.
The government would move to alert level 3, which means only businesses that can provide contactless engagement with its client will be able to reopen. People would not be allowed to leave their homes unless they need to work and should give priority to remain learning and working from their places. Some industries that are deemed "safe" will be allowed to open, among them manufacturing and construction sectors.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Arden explained on Monday why New Zealand decided to adopt such measures, claiming that thanks to them a wave of devastation has been stopped.
"We looked at the gains we have made in our results, but also our systems," she explained, "We consider the longer we are in lockdown the less likely it is we will need to go back," she added.
According to Ardem, New Zealand's government was considering lifting up the restrictions on April 23 but retracted in order to "ensure gains made against the virus aren't lost".
She also highlighted the achievements that were reached because of the measures.
"We have a relatively low proportion of serious cases, and according to the Oxford University coronavirus government response tracker, one of the lowest mortality rates of the world," she claimed, "In short, the effort of our team of 5 million has broken the chain of transmission and taken a quantum leap forward in our goal to eliminate the virus," she added.
A move to stage three likens New Zealand to its neighbor Australia, which decided to adopt a more lenient approach to stop the spread of the disease. Many have criticized Arden's government claiming that Australia has achieved as much as New Zealand in terms of flattening the infection curve without having to impose measures that are as restrictive as New Zealand's.
“We have done what very few countries have been able to do,” claimed Arden, “We have stopped a wave of devastation,” she added.
By 10:41 GMT the US Dollar went down against the Kiwi by 0.46 percent, falling to the 1.6510 level.