I'm that psyched up.
Surf's coming soon, I'm getting reading now.
[Chris Brown] Zen Wallis won't have to wait long now to get back in the water.
His passion and livelihood.
Surfing was banned more than a month ago.
Criminalized as he calls it as part of a sweeping lockdown
in New Zealand's battle against COVID-19.
His surf school was shuttered and beaches on the North Island were left empty.
And while he didn't agree with the ban
perhaps the other strict measures were worth it.
Big props to our great prime minister you know.
She's done an incredible job keeping a safe and acting early and quick.
[Chris] New Zealand's virus fighting measures rank is among the most strident
in the Western world.
Most businesses were ordered shut
and people were only allowed trips to grocery stores and pharmacies.
And a little bit of outdoor exercise.
But this week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern came very close to proclaiming victory over COVID-19.
We have done what very few countries have been able to do.
We have stopped a wave of devastation.
Infectious disease expert Siouxsie Wiles says while New Zealand has the advantage of being an island
using an extreme lockdown to eliminate the coronavirus
rather than just slow it down took a lot of political will.
It's only a really viable strategy if you do it early enough.
[Chris] Going forward she says, the key will be tracking new infections.
Locating anyone who comes in contact with a sick person
and monitoring the country's borders.
We may end up having countries around the world that there are these little islands
that  you could potentially travel between.
[Reporter] Singapore serves as a cautionary tale.
It too seemed on the verge of eradicating COVID but then got hit by a terrible second wave.
It could be a long way off before we get international visitors coming over here.
[Reporter] But as of this coming Monday at midnight
New Zealand will start sending kids back to school.
Permitting businesses to reopen.
And letting surfers back in the ocean.
Chris Brown, CBC News, Vancouver.
