New Zealand records no new Covid-19 cases for 2nd straight day

New Zealand reported no new coronavirus cases for the second straight day on Tuesday, while authorities said it was premature to discuss moving the country to “level one” in its scale of alert.

The Pacific nation of more than 5 million moved to “level 2” last week, allowing cafes, shops and restaurants to reopen under strict social distancing rules.

“We are only just into alert level two; we still need to settle into the full alert level two parameters,” Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said in Wellington. There was “still a long way to go” for the country to move into alert level one, which means the virus has been contained in the country, according to the official.

New Zealand has had over 1,500 infections and 21 deaths, Reuters said. The nationwide lockdown lasted for more than a month.