Table 1.

Summary of Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ)’s initial COVID-19 response

28/02/2020	First recognized case of COVID-19 in NZ (although an earlier historical case was subsequently detected)
11/03/2020	Declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization
16/03/2020	The New Zealand Government required all visitors to the country to self-isolate for 14 days; public gatherings of more than 500 people restricted
19/03/2020	Borders and entry ports were closed to all non-residents (with some exceptions); indoor gatherings of more than 100 people restricted
21/03/2020	A newly minted four-level Alert system was introduced, to guide how individuals, businesses and the nation would operate at different levels of pandemic threat [9]; NZ set at Alert Level 2
23/03/2020	Moved up to Alert Level 3 (equivalent to a partial lockdown), schools closed, some other businesses were able to open, as long as there was no physical contact with customers; health services were to be delivered remotely as much as possible
25/03/2020	Moved up to Alert Level 4 (equivalent to a complete nationwide lockdown) during which people were told to stay at home and only essential businesses remained open, which included specified health services and community pharmacies. These were instructed to implement recognised COVID-19 infection control measures, which included hand washing/sanitising, physical distancing, replacing in-person visits with telehealth where possible, and cessation of some routine services [10]
27/04/2020	Moved down to Alert Level 3, allowing gatherings of 10 people, early childhood centres and some schools reopened
13/05/2020	Moved down to Alert Level 2, which maintained physical distancing and limits on size of gatherings but allowed all businesses and schools to re-open