Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday declared, “There is no widespread, undetected community transmission in New Zealand.” While she said New Zealand has achieved its goal of eliminating community transmission, she also warned about complacency.

The country began a phased exit from lockdown maximum Level Four restrictions on Monday, after nearly five weeks of only essential services operating. 400,000 people are set to return to work as Level Three allows some businesses, takeaway food outlets, and schools, to reopen.

Ardern, however, warned there was no certainty about when all transmission could be eliminated, with a return to normal life. She said, everyone wants to “bring back the social contact that we all miss”, but to do it confidently we need to move slowly and we need to move cautiously”.

Public gatherings remain banned and people were asked by Arden to remain in their “bubble”.

The easing of restrictions came as New Zealand recorded only one new case of Covid-19 in 24 hours, taking the total to 1,122 with 19 deaths.

Umm Muhammed Umar