And how other nations can follow in New Zealand’s footsteps.
New Zealand has quickly become the blueprint for how countries should handle the COVID-19 pandemic. When reports of COVID-19’s increasing spread throughout Wuhan hit global news, New Zealand began preparing for the worst as many students and tourists from China frequently commute during summertime. On February 28, 2020, New Zealand announced its first COVID infection, something that the government and health officials had been preparing for since early in the month. In less than thirty days, the country went into Level 4 lockdown; by then, there had only been 645 reported cases. After only 103 days (14 weeks) in strict lockdown, New Zealand government declared the country COVID-free on June 8.
New Zealand’s government, specifically Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, has been praised for its immediate and proactive approach to handling with the pandemic. Some even suggest that the containment model should be a template that other countries should use.
Starting at the beginning of lockdown, New Zealand’s government introduced the “Swiss Cheese Model” and the “Bubble Concept” to better prepare and educate civilians on the reasons for the firm lockdown regulations.
The “swiss cheese” model illustrates how a single layer of prevention is not enough to prevent the spread of viruses. Multiple prevention methods, stacked together provide the best defense. https://t.co/O1D7n5oigM #COVID19KFLA
— KFLA Public Health (@KFLAPH) January 8, 2021
The “Swiss Cheese Model” was originated by Dante Orlandella and James T. Reason. New Zealand, used this strategy to visualize barriers to protect the nation’s health. These “barriers,” or Swiss cheese blockades, list border closures and controls, social distancing, frequent cleaning, testing and isolation, limits on gatherings, and mask-wearing as some of the important measures to help prevent mass COVID infections.
The “Bubble Model” conceptualizes socializing within your household (bubble) to prevent spreading COVID-19 to others inside other bubbles, and so forth. Bubbles could mingle if they resided in the same location, those dealing with the downsides of mental health felt this was a bearable component of the model. After New Zealand relaxed to Level 1 lockdown, the Bubble Model adjusted its leniency towards socializing with others.
Image by @miracleday from UnsplashDespite the success of the lockdown, the government’s effort wasn’t always smooth sailing. Public recourse has been high as lockdown dragged on. Since August, multiple anti-lockdown protests have occurred. The participants labeled the protests as “freedom rallies,” in which they exclaim their support for United States President Donald Trump and their disdain for COVID-19 regulations, the United Nations, China, and water fluoridation, among other things.
Recently, Auckland had to go back into lockdown after a spike in cases caused 65 new infections. Now, the city has been placed on Level 3 lockdown while the country has been placed on Level 2. The government’s quick response to the spike in cases both relieved and frustrated citizens who are still troubled by the isolation of the previous lockdown. But one thing is for sure, New Zealand takes this pandemic incredibly seriously. A refreshing change from other countries that seek to discredit the severity of possible loss of life. We can only hope that other nations struggling to contain the pandemic will soon follow in New Zealand’s footsteps.
