New Zealand

Wellington, Jun 17 (AP/PTI) New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has assigned a top military leader to oversee the nation's border quarantine measures after what she described as an unacceptable failure by health officials in allowing two women who had recently returned from London to leave quarantine before they had been tested for the virus.

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - It took just eight days for New Zealand to lose its COVID-free status when two women who had been given permission to leave quarantine early after arriving from abroad tested positive for the coronavirus, authorities said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has enjoyed enormous popularity for her success at ridding the country of coronavirus infection, said the government would review what happened, but that it was clear checks were not adequate in this case.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The New Zealand city of Hamilton on Friday removed a bronze statue of the British naval officer for whom it is named — a man who is accused of killing indigenous Maori people in the 1860s.

The removal by city authorities came a day after a Maori tribe asked for the statue be taken down and one Maori elder threatened to tear it down himself.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand has eradicated the coronavirus from its shores after health officials reported that the final person known to have contracted an infection had recovered.

WELLINGTON, June 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) – New Zealand reported no new case of COVID-19 for 16 consecutive days, said a statement by the Ministry of Health today.

The combined number of confirmed and probable cases stays at 1,504, of which 1,154 are confirmed, it said.

New Zealand currently has 1,481 people reported as having recovered from COVID-19, unchanged from Saturday. There is only one case remaining active in the country.

There is no hospital-level care. The death toll remained at 22. The total number of tests completed to date is 294,048, an increase of 2,054.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — South American countries at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic are choosing to reopen even as case numbers rise, ignoring the example set by Europe in which nations waited for the worst to pass.

Meanwhile in the U.S., there are concerns that widespread protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man pinned at the neck by a white police officer, could cause new outbreaks in a nation where the virus has disproportionately affected racial minorities.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand on Friday had all but eradicated the coronavirus from its shores with just one person in the nation of 5 million known to be still infected, but developments elsewhere were generally grim, with India reporting another record increase in cases and Pakistan a record number of deaths.

In the U.S., the virus threw more than 2 million people out of work last week despite the gradual reopening of businesses, stoking fears the scourge is doing deep and potentially long-lasting damage to the world’s largest economy.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — One of New Zealand’s largest media organizations is being sold for a single dollar to its chief executive, the owners announced Monday.

The organization Stuff prints many of the nation’s daily newspapers and runs a popular news website of the same name. It employs about 900 staff, including 400 journalists.

Owned by Australia’s Nine Entertainment, Stuff faced financial challenges before the coronavirus pandemic struck and has since seen advertising revenues plunge.

Wellington, May 21 (AP) New Zealand's prime minister wants employers to consider switching to a four-day work week as a way to promote tourism, which has been hard-hit by the pandemic.

Jacinda Ardern said on Facebook Live people had learned a lot about work flexibility during the lockdown that was eased last week.

The nation's borders remain closed but Ardern said more flexible working arrangements could allow New Zealanders to travel more within their own country.

Wellington, May 16 (AP) New Zealand's leader found out there are no exceptions when it comes to social distancing after she was initially turned away from a cafe because it was too full under coronavirus guidelines.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her fiance, Clarke Gayford, decided to get brunch Saturday at Olive, a restaurant in the capital, Wellington. That was two days after the country relaxed many of its lockdown rules, including reopening restaurants.