But with two new cases announced yesterday, we have learned that elimination is not the end - rather, it's the start of the next phase. After 24 consecutive days with no new cases, the announcement that two people returning from overseas tested positive does not mean New Zealand's elimination strategy has failed. Just two weeks ago, we estimated we were likely to see one or two cases a week at New Zealand's border. The two women arrived in New Zealand on June 7 via Doha and Brisbane and stayed in a managed isolation hotel in Auckland. They were granted an exemption on compassionate grounds to travel to Wellington, to visit their dying parent on 13 June.

Source: Otago Daily Times June 17, 2020 00:33 UTC