While New Zealand no longer has any known active cases of COVID-19, globally the situation is "worsening", the World Health Organization's (WHO) head has warned.
The final known active case of the respiratory illness in Aotearoa was deemed recovered on Monday. It's the first time the country hasn't had a case since February 28, a "significant mark in our journey", according to Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield.
But Dr Bloomfield warned that we must continue to be vigilant. In announcing the country's move to alert level 1 - which essentially removes all restrictions other than border measures - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also said we will "almost certainly see cases here again".
"But when that occurs it will not mean we have failed. It is the reality of this virus. We must be and we are prepared for future cases."
Speaking to media on Tuesday (NZ time), the WHO's Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that while things are getting better in some regions, in others, the situation is dire. Worldwide, according to Worldometer, more than 7.1 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded, while 407,000 people have died.
"Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening. More than 100,000 cases have been reported on nine of the past 10 days. Yesterday, more than 136,000 cases were reported, the most in a single day so far," Dr Ghebreyesus said.
"Almost 75 percent of yesterday’s cases come from 10 countries, mostly in the Americas and South Asia. Most countries in the African region are still experiencing an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, with some reporting cases in new geographic areas, although most countries in the region have less than 1000 cases.
"We also see increasing numbers of cases in parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia."
In nations that are seeing progress, Dr Ghebreyesus said "the biggest threat now is complacency".
"Results from studies to see how much of the population has been exposed to the virus show that most people globally are still susceptible to infection.
"We continue to urge active surveillance to ensure the virus does not rebound, especially as mass gatherings of all kinds are starting to resume in some countries."
It's been more than six months since it's understood the virus began spreading around the world and Dr Ghebreyesus said it was "not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal".
"This is the time for countries to continue to work hard, on the basis of science, solutions, and solidarity."
With many around the world protesting following the death of George Floyd in the US, the WHO Director-General said they must "do so safely".
"As much as possible, keep at least 1 metre from others, clean your hands, cover your cough, and wear a mask if you attend a protest."
He also stressed the importance of contact tracing and how digital tools can assist in quickly identifying and tracking down cases.
"As part of a comprehensive approach, digital contact-tracing tools offer the opportunity to trace larger numbers of contacts in a shorter period of time, and to provide a real-time picture of the spread of the virus," he said.
"But they can also pose challenges to privacy, lead to incorrect medical advice based on self-reported symptoms, and can exclude those who do not have access to modern digital technologies."
Similarly to Prime Minister Ardern when she discusses New Zealand's COVID Tracer application, Dr Ghebreyesus said digital tools should not replace human contact tracing.
At alert level 1, Ardern said businesses and services where the public visit should still provide people with the opportunity to record their movement, and officials will continue to encourage them to display QR codes.
"Manual sign-in is no longer required, but we do ask that you put up a QR code poster at the door of your premises so people can scan in and can keep a record for themselves. Ongoing improvements will be made to ensure these QR posters are as accessible as possible for businesses.
"We have also worked with the events sector on a voluntary code to ensure attendees’ details are captured at these bigger events where we know the virus can spread easily."
She said the reason for this was simple: "If we get one or two cases in future, which will remain possible for some time to come due to the global situation and nature of the virus, we need to shut down those cases fast".
As of Monday, the COVID Tracer app has recorded 522,000 registrations, with 37,504 posters created by businesses. The total number of poster scans to date is 734,415.
