How NZ has fared in six months since registering first Covid-19 case

Today marks six months since New Zealand registered its first Covid-19 case.

Since then the country has faced unprecedented restrictions, an economic downturn, and Kiwis have learned what an epidemiologist is. 

As the Covid-19 storm raged overseas, New Zealand took its first action on February 2, banning flights from China. 

By the end of that month, on February 28, the first suspected case of Covid-19 was confirmed.

On March 19, with only 28 cases, New Zealand shut its borders.

Two days later, the Prime Minister held an address to the nation - something not seen since 1982.

"Effective immediately, we will move to Alert Level 3 nationwide," Jacinda Ardern announced that day.

"We have moved to go hard and go early."

The country was introduced to the new Alert Level system. Forty-eight hours later, the country was in strict lockdown.

There were 102 cases in New Zealand.

On March 29, New Zealand announced its first death linked to Covid-19, on the West Coast.

Thousands of returning Kiwis went into managed isolation while those here faced a new normal in our bubbles. 

There was home schooling, home baking, home exercise - but not everyone followed the rules.

Health Minister David Clark resigned after being caught out breaching the lockdown regulations.

There were snaking queues at the supermarkets and at food banks, demand soaring over 900 per cent.

Despite wage subsidies, unemployment rose. Tourism was non-existent and some businesses shut their doors for good.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield became an unlikely cult hero, presenting 106 daily updates, while the country's scientists are now household names.

After lockdown, cases continued to grow, reaching a peak at the beginning of April - a height of 89 new cases a day.

There they started to drop and so did our alert levels, from three, to two, to one, and a string of zero cases.

August 11 marked 102 days without a case of Covid-19 in the community.

Now there's a new outbreak to fight and masks, hand sanitiser, QR codes and testing are at the front of mind again.

"In a world where 2020 has frankly been terrible, we are strong, we have been kind and we are doing really well," Ms Ardern says.

It's a good reminder for the team of five million.