New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday that she spoke to Queen Elizabeth II after the country emerged out a strict lockdown that helped contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Ardern said she recently received a message saying the Queen was eager to “touch base” and see how New Zealand was doing under circumstances of the global pandemic.
“What I came away with was a genuine and strong sense that her Majesty was really interested in knowing how we were doing and was heartened to know that we were doing ok,” Ardern said at a news conference.
New Zealand was under a strict lockdown that saw offices, schools, malls, restaurants, playgrounds and all other public areas shut for over a month. The lockdown was lifted on Tuesday.
The Pacific country reported two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking the total to 1,126, and 19 deaths, far lesser than many other countries as it successfully contained the virus by locking down its borders and its economy.
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