https://media.graytvinc.com/images/0529_Jacinda-Ardern_click.jpg — New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern has won praise for her government's handling of the pandemic. (Source: Facebook/Jacinda Ardern, CNN)

New Zealand down to one active coronavirus case

29 May 2020, 10:03 by KNOE

(AP/Gray News) – New Zealand has all but eradicated the coronavirus with just one person in the nation of 5 million known to be infected.

Health authorities have reported no new virus cases for a week.

“For the seventh day in a row, there are no new cases of COVID-19 to report in New Zealand,” the Ministry of Health said on Twitter.

Of the 1,504 people who were infected, 22 have died but all but one have now recovered.

About 275,000 people have been tested.

The country has set a goal to eliminate the virus altogether, an ambition aided by a strict lockdown in late March that has been gradually eased in recent weeks.

The nation’s borders remain closed and staying virus-free when they reopen poses a big challenge.