Images that we are no longer used to.
And a pressing desire to do the same.
In the city of Waitangi, in the north of New Zealand, was held, Saturday, January 16, the biggest concert since the beginning of the health crisis, all regions of the world combined.
Organized on a sports field, the event brought together 20,000 people, who went wild in front of
Six60
.
The country's most famous band kicked off their national summer tour there, after their international concerts were canceled due to the pandemic, reports
Metro
.
Five more dates are planned in Hastings, New Plymouth, Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton.
Read also: New Zealand: the Covid reappears after three months without a new case
"Being here and being able to meet, when the rest of the world cannot, makes us appreciate the success of our country in the management of Covid and the luck that we have"
, declared the singer of the group, Matiu Walters, at the
Northern Advocate
.
Without masks or social distancing, attendees were able to hug at leisure and even interact with Walters during the event.
Gestures that would almost shock us, as the cultural world in France is in agony.
A well-deserved freedom
This breath of fresh air is explained by a particularly well-conducted management of the health crisis, in a country where no transmission of the Covid has been recorded for two months, the second longest period without cases listed after that of June. to August 2020. Since the start of the pandemic, 2,246 infections have been detected and 25 people have died.
As of January 15, New Zealand had 76 active cases of the virus.
Today, the country's borders are open, although a test and a fourteen-day quarantine remain mandatory for anyone wishing to reach Kiwi Island.
As early as March, the country had instituted a national seven-week curfew, although no deaths were reported in the territory.
Borders were strictly closed to non-citizens and nationals traveling were repatriated and systematically tested.
In case of positivity, they were subjected to a period of quarantine.
An effective policy, since, since October 7, the 5 million New Zealanders are no longer forced into masks.
Even if, since November 19, the city of Auckland, located on the North Island, made its port again compulsory in public transport.
