Abstract
Aotearoa New Zealand went 'hard' and 'early' in its response to COVID-19 and has been highly successful in limiting the spread and impact of the virus. The response has ramped up over time, and has included various levels of: border control; advice on hygiene, physical distancing and mask wearing; advice to remain at home if unwell; and testing and tracing. A four-level Alert Level framework has guided key actions at different levels of risk. Strong leadership from the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Director-General of Health and high levels of community co-operation have supported the response. The country is most vulnerable at its borders, where arrangements have been of concern; advice on testing and the wearing of masks has changed over time; while the use and distribution of personal protective equipment has also been of concern. The country overall was not well prepared for a pandemic, but policy-making has been nimble. Key challenges for 2021 include swiftly rolling out a vaccine, catching up on delayed health care, and deciding how and when the border can reopen. The economic, and associated social, challenges will last many years.
Highlights
Aotearoa New Zealand’s (A/NZ’s) response to COVID-19 has been described by the government as going ‘hard’ and ‘early’, with the goal of eliminating transmission of virus in the community, and in ways that ensure equity (Ministry of Health, 2020a, 2020b)
I provide information on the decision-making processes involved with COVID-19 in A/NZ (Section 2); an overview and timeline of A/NZ’s approach to and experiences with COVID-19 (Section 3); discuss the range of measures that the A/NZ government has taken to combat the virus and the issues faced, focusing on International Borders; Restrictions; Cases, Clusters and Deaths; Tracing and Testing; and the Capacity of the Health System (Sections 4–8); explore the economic impact of COVID-19 and the Government’s responses (Section 9); and reflect on how A/ NZ has managed the virus and the future challenges the country faces (Section 10)
In addition to regular cases from returnees to A/NZ, a few further community cases have been reported, all with links to the border (Wilson et al, 2020)
Summary
Aotearoa New Zealand’s (A/NZ’s) response to COVID-19 has been described by the government as going ‘hard’ and ‘early’, with the goal of eliminating transmission of virus in the community, and in ways that ensure equity (Ministry of Health, 2020a, 2020b). I provide information on the decision-making processes involved with COVID-19 in A/NZ (Section 2); an overview and timeline of A/NZ’s approach to and experiences with COVID-19 (Section 3); discuss the range of measures that the A/NZ government has taken to combat the virus and the issues faced, focusing on International Borders; Restrictions; Cases, Clusters and Deaths; Tracing and Testing; and the Capacity of the Health System (Sections 4–8); explore the economic impact of COVID-19 and the Government’s responses (Section 9); and reflect on how A/ NZ has managed the virus and the future challenges the country faces (Section 10). Note that three key websites provide detailed information on COVID-19 in A/NZ (Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment, 2020; New Zealand Government, 2020a; Ministry of Health, 2021).
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