Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand will begin to ease some lockdown measures next week, with some businesses and schools able to reopen, as well as local travel restrictions being relaxed.

She insisted that the country keep restrictions for another week but maintained the country had “stopped a wave of devastation.”

There have been 1,440 cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand and just 12 fatalities in total as of Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Ms Ardern said she is still able to receive a call concerning each death from the virus, with the country experiencing one of the lowest mortality rates in the world from the epidemic. The country appears to have been rewarded for its premature move towards lockdown on 25 March after just 150 cases and no fatalities.

“We have done what very few countries have been able to do. We have stopped a wave of devastation,” the leader of the Labour Party said from the Beehive in Wellington.

“Our transmission rate, the number of cases each person with the virus passes it onto, is now 0.48, less than half a person each. Overseas the average is 2.5 people. We have amongst the lowest number of confirmed cases per 100,000 people in the world.”

All fatalities have been from elderly people with pre-existing health conditions, though there were nine new cases on Monday, according to the Ministry of Health.

“Nearly every case identified since April 1 is as a result of overseas travel or contact with someone with the virus, often in existing clusters,” Ms Ardern added.

“Our testing has scaled up and we have now tested over 85,000 New Zealanders, one of the highest testing rates per capita in the world.”

Despite gaining progress in their elimination strategy, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, director-general of health, has urged the government to be “extra safe” and maintain a level four lockdown.

But a downgrade to level three from next Monday is designed to appease others who are concerned by the economic ramifications of extending lockdown for too long. Next week's move will mean some businesses can to reopen but workers will not be able to “physically interact with customers”.

Despite greater freedom to businesses, most will not experience a change to their daily social lives. The public will continue to be advised to remain at home apart from leaving to exercise or to acquire essential supplies.

Though weddings, funerals and tangihanga [Maori funeral rites] will be able to take place at level three with no more than 10 people.

A move to level two is on the horizon too, with the government set to put the decision to a vote on 11 May.