New Zealand is now officially free of Corona virus. On June 8, the island country announced that its last person known to be infected with COVID-19 has recovered. Following the recovery of an Auckland woman on Monday, New Zealand has no known active cases of COVID-19. The death toll sits at 22. No one is in hospital.

The country has tallied 1,504 confirmed and probable infections and 22 deaths.

With this feat, New Zealand has joined the list of other countries like Fiji, Iceland, Taiwan and Montenegro, which have recently brought the number of active cases of COVID-19 to nearly zero.

Following the big development, high level talks are underway between the Queensland Government and New Zealand to open up a travel bubble from as early as next month. Air New Zealand is involved in the discussions, which could see flights operate between New Zealand, Brisbane, Cairns, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.

How New Zealand won the big battle?

New Zealand is a clear example that a combination of social distancing, testing and contact-tracing, and clear communication can have a huge impact on reining in the virus. The rest of the world battling the virus can certainly take a cue from New Zealand’s coordinated and aggressive response.

While part of the reason for New Zealand’s success lies in its small size, less population and isolated location, the fact that the government reacted swiftly after confirming its first case on February 28, is laudable.

New Zealand ramped up widespread diagnostic testing early, created a meticulous nationwide contact tracing system, called for a strict stay-at-home order, and closed its borders while the number of confirmed cases was still very low, Katz notes. As a result, it managed to avoid the explosive epidemics seen in other parts of the world.

The government of New Zealand also made an effort to unify people and make sure they understood what to expect when the country went into lockdown.

The elimination of COVID-19 in New Zealand highlights both the impact of proactive action against the disease and the importance of remaining vigilant against a virus that is likely to remain with us for many months yet.