Comparing New Zealand’s Pandemic Response to the US

FEATURING MARIA ARMOUDIAN – The small island nation of New Zealand this week announced victory in the fight against the coronavirus saying it had effectively “eliminated” it. A harsh 4-week lockdown of the entire nation appears to have borne fruit as only one new case was reported this week.

New Zealand’s popular Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the lockdown as, “the strictest constraints placed on New Zealanders in modern history.” By taking swift and strong action early on New Zealand is now set to reopen its economy cautiously with hundreds of thousands of people returning to work. But some restrictions will remain in place.

Overall the nation of 5 million reported 1,472 infections and 19 deaths related to the coronavirus.

Maria Armoudian, Senior lecturer at The University of Auckland, author of two books, Kill the Messenger: The Media’s Role in the Fate of the World, and, Reporting from the Danger Zone.