New Zealand's prime minister has announced that the country will be completely lifting their Covid-19 restrictions after declaring that there are no longer any active cases of the novel coronavirus remaining.
Per The Guardian, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also confirmed that the country has not had a new case of the coronavirus reported for 17 days.
At a news conference in Wellington, Arden said: "We are ready."
She added that the people of New Zealand had "united in unprecedented ways to crush the virus".
As reported by BBC News, Arden, 39, told reporters she "did a little dance" after being told the news by health officials, and went on to explain what would be next for the country, saying:
"While we're in a safer, stronger position there's still no easy path back to pre-Covid life, but the determination and focus we have had on our health response will now be vested in our economic rebuild.
"While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. So can I finish with a very simple Thank you, New Zealand."
At midnight local time (12:00 GMT/08:00 ET), the nation will move to level one, the lowest of its four-tier alert system.
The new level means that social distancing will no longer be required and there will be no limits on public gatherings, however, the country's borders will remain closed.
Prime Minister Arden first placed the country on an initial four-week lockdown on March 25, instructing most New Zealanders to remain at home for most of their day, before she gradually started to ease restrictions.
After over five weeks, the country entered level three of its lockdown phases, which allowed for takeaway food shops and non-essential businesses to once again open their doors.
The country entered level two in mid-May, as Arden strict and precautions measures started to pay off, and the nation saw a continued decline in cases.
Today's announcement comes ahead of plan, with the BBC reporting that the New Zealand government had not intended to move to level one until June 22.
Under level one rules, all schools and workplaces will open, and weddings and funerals can now once again take place with no restrictions. Public transport will also operate as normal.
Anybody entering the country will still have to isolate for a 14-day period.
Prime Minister Ardern warned the people of New Zealand that the nation would "certainly see cases again", adding that "elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort".
As of this writing, New Zealand has reported 1,154 confirmed cases and 22 deaths from Covid-19, with the first case being reported back in February.
