The number of infections in the country has dropped below 300. On Monday, only one new case was reported.

Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealand’s director general of health, said transmission of the virus had been “eliminated” because officials were in the position to test and trace any new outbreak.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that social-distancing rules remained in place. “We’re opening up our economy, but we’re not opening up people’s social lives,” she said.

Analysis: New Zealand and Australia have succeeded in flattening the curve and are on track to eliminate the virus, in part because of early action and a nonpartisan reliance on science. The public also complied when the information flowing from officials at every level was largely consistent.

Related: In Europe, there were also steps toward normalization. Face masks became mandatory on public transport and in most shops across Germany on Monday as the country gradually reopens. Switzerland allowed a limited number of businesses to re-start.