World News for Students of English

25-05-2020 15:00

As most of the world continues to fight with the coronavirus, New Zealand has almost eliminated the virus. The country reported only one new case in the past four days, and it is reopening schools, restaurants, and shops.

New Zealand benefits from being a remote and sparsely populated island. New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, acted quickly, and she communicated clearly and compassionately from the start of the epidemic.

In late March, with less than 100 cases, New Zealand closed borders, schools, and some businesses. Domestic travel was banned, and people were asked to stay at home. The country quickly reached high testing rates and used existing health records to track down people suspected of coming in contact with COVID-19.

Ardern urged people to stay careful, and reopening businesses are required to keep records of customers, which helps trace new cases of the disease.

Difficult words: eliminate (to put an end to something), remote (far from other places), sparse (very few people or things are there), track down (to find someone or something after a long search).

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