Coronavirus: New Zealand could lift all lockdown restrictions next week after 11 straight days with no new cases
New Zealand has already eased some of its lockdown measures and the government will soon consider whether to lift them completely.
Tuesday 2 June 2020 14:27, UK
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.
New Zealand has recorded 1,504 total confirmed infections - fewer than the UK continues to record in a single day - and has recorded just 22 deaths.
Ms Ardern added: "We will be one of the first countries in the world to return to this level of normality so quickly".
Shopping centres, retail stores and restaurants have already been allowed to reopen in New Zealand, although social distancing has remained in place until now and gatherings are limited to 10 people.
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But on Monday, thousands of New Zealanders defied those restrictions to protest over the death of George Floyd, adding to scenes of outrage in cities around the world.
Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old black American, died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was among some 4,000 protesters in Auckland, New Zealand.
"I have to speak up," Adesanya said to the assembled crowd.
"I've been doing it for like the last two weeks.
"For the last two weeks on my stories, you'll see I've been angry. I'm p off."
He added: "How many of you walk into a store and put your hands behind your back just so they don't think you're stealing? How many of you walk down the street and have to kind of smile and try to make the person who you can see is already scared of you, make them feel comfortable?"
Ms Ardern said she was "horrified" by Mr Floyd's death, but noted that protesters had flouted restrictions.
"I think I stand with everyone else in being horrified in what we've seen," she told state broadcaster TVNZ.
She added: "I don't want to stop peaceful protests... but rules are there to protect people."