Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 17) — Communicate clearly.
This was one of the reasons why New Zealand has managed to control its first COVID-19 outbreak, health minister Christopher Hipkins said in an online forum hosted by the Asian Development Bank and World Health Organization on Thursday.
The New Zealand health minister explained that their communication strategy is based on trust, transparency, and early announcements.
Hipkins added that this “resulted in very high levels of public support and buy-in for the public health measures we have put in place.”
Other key areas of New Zealand’s response are the COVID-19 alert level system which notifies people of restrictions they have to follow, and the mandatory 14-day isolation for every people who enter the country.
Hipkins said the alert levels are based on the latest scientific information and knowledge on the effectiveness of intervention measures in New Zealand and other countries.
He added the highest level is Alert Level 4, which means people, except those rendering essential services, are instructed to stay at home and travel is severely limited.
“The success of measures that we have put in place has been evident,” the official said, noting that up until August 11, they had gone 102 days without a single case acquired locally from an unknown source.
To date, New Zealand has 77 active cases, 44 of which are community transmission cases.
Hipkins said except for the Auckland region, which is at Alert Level 3, the rest of New Zealand is at Alert Level 2, which means that businesses can operate, but physical distancing and other safety measures will remain in place.
