It has recently been confirmed that New Zealand officially has zero active cases of COVID -19. This came at a very pivotal moment, the country anticipating a move Covid-19 Alert Level 1, which the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, then announced only a few hours later.
New Zealand has been under an alert level system since March 21, when the country was immediately put under Alert Level 2 as the Covid-19 pandemic was increasing. Five days later the country went to Alert Level 4.
No Active Cases
It was reported today that there are no active cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand. It has now been 17 days since a new Covid-19 case has been recorded. New Zealand has been without community transmission of a case for 38 days. New Zealand had moved down restrictions faster than any other country. The zero active cases news has come 101 days since the country’s first diagnosis on February 28th.
It was decided to shift the country into a more relaxed level of restriction, which would see life mostly return to normal, with the exception of the border control measures, which will remain for the foreseeable future. Today the final active case, an Auckland woman in her 50s connected to the St Margaret’s rest home cluster, was reported as recovered.
Today’s decision means that events such as funerals, hospitality, and public transport can resume without any restrictions. Sports are also back in action, with games allowed to now have supporters in attendance at the ground or stadium. Festivals and events within the country are now allowed to be promoted and executed. Our borders are still closed as of now.
Wage Subsidy Extension
For businesses who are still getting back on their feet we do recommend applying for the wage subsidy extension which you can apply for here – Wage Subsidy Extension
Sign up to Job Hunters and get in touch with our team to get ahead here – Job Hunters
Social Practices to Maintain
Arden still stresses the importance of keeping social distancing when you can and maintaining handwashing and other personal hygiene measures we have become used to under higher levels. Contact tracing is still one of the biggest priorities the country needs to maintain as this will help us if there is to be another outbreak. She said the next step was “getting the country moving again” through supporting local businesses.
With that being said, New Zealand needs to continue playing their part in protecting one another and doing their utmost best to keep to any rules that are still in place. Level one will continue to see the recovery of the country. Anyone coming into the country will be tested twice throughout their 14 days in quarantine or managed self-isolation from the end of the week. There will still be some COVID testing conducted at clinics, GPs’ practices, and mobile clinics.
What This Means For Finding Work
New Zealand continues to build momentum but it may take a period of time to reach the levels we saw pre-Covid 19. We are expecting to see a rapid rise in the construction industry as sites across the country come back online and ramp back up into full swing. With this shift we are expecting to see a strong surge in the market for hiring. We recommend been well prepared as the market is going to be competitive; getting advice and being on the ball, ready to go is the best way to get out in front.
Sign up to Job Hunters and get in touch with our team to get ahead here – Job Hunters
Our team is here to help! Even if you just want someone to talk to about uncertainties in the current environment or you need advice give us a call and we can help 09 551 6477.
View all of our jobs here – All our available jobs
Are you ready for your next challenge? Speak to one of our recruitment consultants today.