New Zealand's coronavirus milestone of no cases of community transmission for 100 days shows the country is one of the best places to be. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand's coronavirus milestone of no cases of community transmission for 100 days shows the country is one of the best places to be. Photo / Getty Images
EDITORIAL
New Zealand's achievement in going 100 days without a case of coronavirus community transmission is a milestone to be celebrated.
It would be a badge of honour in good governance for any nation. Our approach to Covid-19 has for months rightly been held up as a good example aroundthe world.
With other countries still struggling with their outbreaks, now would be a good time to call attention to the situation here, even as we know we can't get complacent about the ongoing border risks.
The Government has to balance efforts to keep New Zealanders safe and in employment with attempts to encourage business creation, which can require allowing in people from overseas.
Former Prime Minister Sir John Key suggested last week that border restrictions should be loosened so that universities and companies could bring in foreign students and skilled workers and pay for their own quarantine.
Regardless of what happens to border and immigration policies after next month's election, our handling of the virus has made us a potentially attractive spot for foreign workers and businesses.
The coronavirus has highlighted the fact worldwide that a lot of jobs can be done from anywhere. It has also made millions of people think about the importance of being able to do normal things safely.
That includes being able to study for qualifications safely. To meet up with friends and family. To go to a cafe or pub without worry. To do your job as you would expect to. To see sports games, or travel inside a country and be free from fear of infection to enjoy it. To know kids are being taught in a safe school environment.
It's an appeal that goes beyond billionaires looking for a bolthole, students wanting in-person lessons, or people overseas with skills seeking a permanent shift south.
As well, there would be people in different countries who would like the idea of a "coronavirus gap year" in a safe place. Why not wait out the pandemic in a country where you can get things done in comfort?
Normal incoming tourism is impractical at the moment with our quarantine restrictions, but more people may become interested in a kind of lengthy, temporary, timeout from the cares of the outside world.
Two weeks' quarantine costs would be a small price to pay to run a business, work or study for a year without fear of infection.
A cyclists passes an empty Flinders Street Station during lockdown due to the continuing spread of the coronavirus in Melbourne. Photo / AP
Our milestone came as Australia reached a grim one of its own. In Victoria, 17 people died from Covid-19 on Sunday, making it the deadliest day of the country's pandemic. Hundreds of medical workers in Victoria have tested positive for the virus. Yesterday it was overtaken when 19 people died.
Worldwide, cases of coronavirus are at about 20 million, with the United States, Brazil and India combined accounting for half. About a million people have been infected in Africa.
There have been about 730,000 deaths overall. Brazil has become the second country after the US to record more than 100,000 deaths.
In the US there are widespread back-to-school concerns. Newly reopened schools in Mississippi, Indiana and Georgia have reported infections. And Princeton and Johns Hopkins have announced online-only university semesters for the northern autumn.
Infections are on the rise in Europe and mask-wearing is an often required part of everyday life - now even outdoors in summer on the French Riviera.
Here, we are heading towards our warmer months as the opposite is true up north. There's a market out there available to be tapped.
