People Are Praising Jacinda Ardern For Her Leadership Throughout Coronavirus Pandemic

We're continually being told that international coronavirus comparisons can be misleading, but as they say in football - the results speak for themselves.

Yesterday (Monday 8 June), New Zealand announced it would be lifting lockdown following the recovery of a woman in her 50s, who was believed to be the country's last active coronavirus case.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she 'did a little dance' when she heard the islands were virus-free - and many people think this was a well-earned jig.

The 39-year-old placed the nation in a strict lockdown on 25 March and now almost all restrictions have been lifted, with no new cases reported in 18 days.

Announcing the news, Ardern took the opportunity to thank the country.

She said: "While we're in a safer, stronger position, there's still no easy path back to pre-Covid life, but the determination and focus we have had on our health response will now be vested in our economic rebuild.

"While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. So can I finish with a very simple, 'Thank you, New Zealand'."

However, while fighting the spread of Covid-19 is clearly a collective effort, many feel Ardern herself should take a great deal of credit:

New Zealand has reported a total of 1,504 cases of the disease and 22 deaths, but it's not just the results which have earned Ardern praise.

She has handled the crisis with the same compassion, transparency and decisiveness she displayed in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019.

She even kept her cool when rocked by an earthquake mid-interview.

Truly a leader among leaders, it would seem.

Topics: New Zealand, World News, Coronavirus

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey