New Zealand recently became the first-ever country to eradicate coronavirus, lift all lockdown norms and bring back normalcy to the citizens. To lighten the moods and celebrate, the coronavirus-free country, held rugby matches over the weekend with stadiums in Dunedin and Auckland packed with an enthusiastic audience who were not just sports lovers but also people who needed socialisation.
It was a milestone for New Zealand to conduct a rugby match and invite all the fans from across the country.
For the past three-weeks, New Zealand has not reported any new corona positive case(s) and was successful in discharging the last patient on June 8; it has now declared itself a coronavirus-free country.
NZ imposed lockdown restrictions early in March, and did a tremendous job at containing the virus. Except for the border restrictions, NZ has lifted all lockdown norms, which means no masks and social distancing, even at the stadium.
The rugby match which took place on Saturday evening was held at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin with a crowd of over 20,000 fans roaring and celebrating the live event. On Sunday, 43,000 spectators attended without restriction the Auckland Blues’ victory against the Wellington Hurricanes.
In a report by Japan Times, “It’s a great opportunity to socialise again,” said an audience member. Meanwhile, NZ’s sports minister Grant Robertson said, “It’s a world-first and it’s a payoff for all the hard work of five million New Zealanders.”
A rugby crazy nation, New Zealand saw sports event a great way to release some steam and stress, which was built in the last three months.
