New Zealand has marked 100 days without a domestic transmission of the coronavirus, but leaders have warned against complacency as countries like Vietnam and Australia which once had the virus under control now battle a resurgence in infections.

New Zealands successful fight against Covid-19 has made the Pacific island nation of 5 million people one of the safest places in the world right now.

Citizens have returned to normal life, but authorities are concerned that people have begun to refuse testing, are avoiding the government contact tracing apps, and even ignoring basic hygiene rules.

Achieving 100 days without community transmission is a significant milestone, however, as we all know, we cant afford to be complacent, said New Zealand Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield.

We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand, he said.

New Zealand currently has 23 active cases in managed isolation facilities, and 1,219 Covid-19 cases in all so far. Health authorities have recorded a total of 22 deaths related to the virus.

The nation has attributed its success to stringent border control measures, a strict lockdown and a widespread program of testing and contact tracing.

But other nations such as Vietnam which went three months without detecting any domestic transmission is now racing to control a new outbreak in Danang, fueling fears in New Zealand that further loosening of measures could spark a similar resurgence.