POSS Team: The Starkars
Team Captain: Mia Raimondi
Team Members: Vandya Goel, Anika Bhatia, William Choi, Nethra Srinivasan, Fiona Davoudi, Parisa Ansari, Minji Kim, Karin Liu, Nancy Zheng
Synopsis: Our research project investigated New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic from February through July, 2020 and found that timely and effective communication between government leadership, the healthcare system, and citizens led to the overwhelming success of their mitigation efforts. New Zealand’s prime minister and other top officials took the advice of healthcare experts to create comprehensive elimination plans that were effectively and truthfully delivered to the public. The implementation of strict lockdowns, border control, and accessible healthcare and information based on science and guidelines provided by healthcare officials allowed New Zealand to sustain low infection and death rates throughout the pandemic.