This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
On June 8, 2020, New Zealand was set to lift almost all its coronavirus restrictions within hours as it reported no active cases in the country.
The country would move to level one, the lowest of its four-tier alert system, at midnight local time (12:00 GMT), marking a significant milestone in its fight against the pandemic.
Under this new level, social distancing would no longer be required, and there would be no limits on public gatherings, but borders would remain closed.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed her gratitude to the nation, saying 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,' she said.
Ms Ardern warned that the country would 'certainly see cases again', adding that 'elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort'.
Since the virus arrived in late February, New Zealand has seen 1,154 confirmed cases and 22 deaths from Covid-19, but has been widely praised for its handling of the crisis.
