New Zealand’s COVID-19 response strategy: lessons learnt

Oliveira, Alcione Brasileiro; Chaves, Sônia Cristina Lima

doi:10.1590/1413-812320232812.13562022EN

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FREE THEMES • Ciênc. saúde coletiva 28 (12) • Dec 2023 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-812320232812.13562022EN copy

New Zealand’s COVID-19 response strategy: lessons learnt

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

This study analyzed the characteristics of the health system, surveillance system, and the measures adopted to face the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand between March 2020 and December 2021. 29 fully read articles from an integrative literature review were included, and the websites of the WHO, the World Bank, the “Stringency Index” of “ourworldindata” were consulted to collect data on the socio-demographic situation, economic indicators of the country, as well as tests, deaths, vaccines and new cases. The data were imported in CSV format and the graphs elaborated in RStudio software. The evidence points out that New Zealand can be considered a success story regarding the nationwide response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it being one of the countries with the lowest number of deaths from the disease in the world. This success was the result of a health system organization with fast internal action, high testing capacity, and contact tracing, without causing the collapse of the health system. In turn, it also pointed out that the population adhered to the confinement conditions, and faithfully followed the authorities’ instructions, even with low community participation in government decisions. Important lessons can be learnt leading to useful recommendations for a potential new epidemic with an unknown virus or similar.

Key words:
COVID-19; New Zealand; Epidemic

Periods	Actions	Levels
2nd February to 15th March, 2020	Travel restrictions; prohibition of arrivals from mainland China, Iran, northern Italy and South Korea; prohibition of all cruise ships	Level 1
16th to 25th March,2020	Non-pharmacological interventions, such as isolation for 14 days for all foreign tourists; prohibition of public gatherings with over 500 people; closure of ports of entry, except for returning citizens/residents; level 3 alert (state of emergency declared on March 25).	Level 2
26th March to 10th April, 2020	Establishment of a blockade with a recommendation to stay at home; improvement of contact tracking, testing, quarantine, including implementation of quarantine facilities managed for returning residents who could not isolate themselves safely; compulsory quarantine for all returning travelers.	Level 3
11th to 27th April, 2020	Intensification of the national blockade	Level 4
May - June, 2020	Resumption and reopening of services while maintaining restrictions on entry of foreigners	Level 1
August, 2020	New outbreak in Auckland - closure of some services, restrictions on size of gatherings, and orders to work at home.	Levels 2 and 3
September, 2020to August, 2021	Opening of all services in the country.	Without restriction
October, 2021	Abandonment of the Covid-Zero strategy.	Restrictions in specific places
November, 2021	New plan with a strategy to minimize and protect, with 3 colors indicating the action level: red, orange and green.	Country at orange level till July 2022
December, 2021	Arrival of the Omicron variant.	Country at orange level till July 2022

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Authors	Title	Year, journal, volume, number and pages
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