May 14, 2020, 05:22 PM
New Zealand has lifted most of its Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on Thursday, May 14.
People are now allowed to go back to work and visit public places like the cinema, library and the gym, and to dine in restaurants and cafes, Reuters reported.
Schools will be reopening on May 18, while bars will be allowed to resume businesses from May 21.
Nonetheless, some measures still remain in place.
People must abide by social distancing rules, and social gatherings of more than 10 are not allowed.
No new cases have been reported in the country since Tuesday, May 12, after more than three weeks of new daily cases numbering in the single digits.
There have been 1,497 cases so far in the country, and 21 Covid-19-related deaths.
Kiwis celebrate
To celebrate the easing of lockdown restrictions, the mayor of Queenstown, Jim Boult, even bungee jumped.
LOOK: The mayor of Queenstown, New Zealand bungee jumps to celebrate the nation’s easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions pic.twitter.com/8RKabWYvk5
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) May 14, 2020
In other parts of the country, such as Auckland, people queued from midnight at the barbers and salons for their first haircut in months, The New Zealand Herald reported.
At 3am, the queues were still going strong.
Screengrab via NZ Herald video
People even went to get themselves tattooed.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - MAY 14: Tattoo artist Steve Wood works on Kieran Judge at the Sacred Tattoo Studio in Kingsland on May 14, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
However not everyone is clamouring to venture out of their homes.
One of the biggest malls in Auckland, the Westfield St Lukes mall, was relatively empty on May 14.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - MAY 14: The St Lukes shopping mall is pictured relatively empty of people on May 14, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
PM pushing for domestic tourism
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, however, warned that the country faces the most challenging economic conditions since the Great Depression due to the pandemic, according to The Guardian.
While she cautioned that the country is "about to enter a very tough winter", she said winter is eventually followed by spring, and that people can get the economy moving again if they make the "right choices".
With the global travel industry coming to a standstill, New Zealand's economy, which is largely dependent on trade and tourism, has taken a hit.
To help get the economy back on track, Ardern is now pushing for domestic tourism, recommending Kiwis to "visit tourism sites and support local business", Newshub reported.
Top image adapted via Bloomberg QuickTake/Twitter
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