NEW ZEALAND has recorded a first death from coronavirus in more than three months.
According to the health authorities, a man in his 50s passed away at Auckland hospital this week.
He was being treated for Covid-19 following a small outbreak of the virus in the city, last month.
Auckland’s lockdown restrictions have already been eased; however, the New Zealand government is continuing to place restrictions on crowd sizes in all public spaces.
The wearing of masks is also mandatory on all forms of public transport.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern has also confirmed that the restrictions will remain in place until at least mid-September.
“As with last time, a cautious approach is the best long-term strategy to get our economy open and freedoms back faster in the long term,” she said.
There have been 1,700 reported cases of coronavirus in New Zealand to date and 23 deaths.
New Zealand has been held up by some experts as an example to Ireland of how to best approach the coronavirus pandemic.
Back in June, Ardern lifted the country’s Covid-19 restrictions after the final person known to have been infected with the virus made a full recovery.
While there have been several imported cases of the virus in the weeks and months since, New Zealand’s 'Zero-Covid' policy is one many believe best fits Ireland – an island with a near-identical population in the region of 4.2 million.
A group of leading scientists have already written to the Irish government calling on the authorities to adopt a similar approach to the virus.
They have warned that failure to do so will leaving Ireland facing a further four waves of the virus before a vaccine is available.
