The U.S. retains its title as the most infected country by approaching the 1 millionth infection milestone. On the other hand, New Zealand declared a victory over the novel coronavirus, due to their measures which contrasted with less-restrictive efforts by Western countries to contain the pathogen but not eradicate it.
What We Know:
- This week will mark several new milestones in the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of US cases nears 1 million and businesses in some states are taking their first steps toward reopening.
- Despite some parts of the country trying to reopen to boost the economy back up, many cities and states are at odds with each other. As of Monday, more than 965,900 people have been infected in the US, and more than 54,800 have died.
- A University of Washington model frequently cited by the White House coronavirus task force suggests no state should open their economies before Friday and that many should wait much longer.
- Moreover, a country that isn’t reaching such highs is New Zealand. The country claimed Monday it had “eliminated” the coronavirus as the country announced the easing of restrictions from “level four” to “level three,” with new cases in single figures.
- At a news conference, New Zealand reported one new case, four “probable cases”, and one new death.
- Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealand’s Director General of Health, said the low number “does give us confidence that we’ve achieved our goal of elimination, which — that never meant zero but it does mean we know where our cases are coming from.”
- According to CNN, Bloomfield stated, “Our goal is elimination. And again, that doesn’t mean eradication but it means we get down to a small number of cases so that we are able to stamp out any cases and any outbreak that might come out.”
Back to the U.S, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated Sunday the earliest the state will begin its first phase of reopening is May 15, but only in places that have seen a 14-day decline in hospitalizations. He said the state’s multiphase reopening will start with construction and manufacturing at “businesses that have a low risk”.
