Approach to COVID-19: United States vs. New Zealand

By Kaliya Trias, News Editor

Courtesy of THE WHITE HOUSE

From the beginning of this pandemic, President Donald Trump has dismissed the severity of the COVID-19 virus, whereas New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took specific precautions from the start.

Although the population size of the United States is 37% larger than New Zealand, the island country was able to have COVID-19 under control within 100 days.

The quick decision making of Ardern led New Zealand into a strict lockdown, starting off their elimination strategy a month after their first case. With four phases in place, the nation went forth with their plan for one of the “world’s strictest” lockdowns as Ardern herself said the country would have the world’s toughest border restrictions.

“Air travel only applying to people undertaking essential services,” Ardern said on March 20. “Public transportation will also begin to transform…for those working essential services, for medical reasons, and to move essential goods, including ferry services between the north and south island.”

On the same day, Trump went over the newly implemented policies and the general outlook of the nation. As of March 20, the U.S. had approximately 19,300 confirmed cases and 250 deaths.

“As we did with Canada, we’re also working with Mexico to implement new rules at our ports of entry to suspend non-essential travel,” Trump said in a press briefing. “So we’re helping them. It’s a responsibility they have, but we are helping the states a lot.”

The United States relied heavily on individual states putting their own preventative measures in place which did not offer a unified front. Although Trump was proud to help states with support of small businesses and gaining equipment he repeatedly touted that “normally they do this themselves.” This contrasts the unification New Zealand held as their policies aimed to aid both of their separated islands.

The general outlook on leadership differs greatly. According to authors Michael G Baker, Nick Wilson, and Andrew Angelmyer, “Ardern provided empathic leadership and effectively communicated key messages to the public—framing combating the pandemic as the work of a unified “team of 5 million”—which resulted in high public confidence.”

Overall, the difference in leadership between Ardern and Trump has led to drastically different COVID-19 related experiences. As of October 23, COVID-19 cases in New Zealand have resulted in 25 deaths. The U.S., on the other hand, is currently at 224,000 COVID-related deaths and counting.