'The tooth fairy and Easter bunny are essential workers,' confirms New Zealand Prime Minister

In the midst of one of the worst public health crises the world has seen in the recent past, we need a little bit of humor to get us through the seemingly neverending days. Of course, these are serious times, but New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern knows the importance of a small joke every now and then. When asked at a press conference about what will happen to the Easter bunny this year given the pandemic, she deemed the Easter bunny an "essential worker." For safe measure, she let her younger citizens know that the tooth fairy was also an essential worker, The New York Times reports.

At present, New Zealand has issued a stay-at-home directive to all its residents, reminding them that in order to "flatten the curve," everyone must do their part. Bar medical professionals police officers, grocery store workers, and others deemed as "essential" in this challenging time, everyone has been requested to stay at home. With this in mind, a reporter asked the Prime Minister if she had considered any exemptions for the Easter bunny. "Yes, you'll be pleased to know that we do consider both the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny essential workers," Ardern responded. "But as you can imagine, at this time, of course, they're going to be potentially quite busy at home with their families and their own bunnies as well."

She then had a message to all the younger New Zealanders who were eagerly awaiting the Easter bunny later this month. Prime Minister Ardern stated with a wide grin on her face, "I say to the children of New Zealand, if the Easter bunny doesn't make it to your household, then we have to understand that it's a bit difficult at the moment for the bunny to perhaps get everywhere." However, she did offer parents "a bit of an idea" to make sure their children's spirits are up during this challenging period. "Maybe draw an Easter egg and prop it into your front window and help children in your neighborhood with the Easter egg hunt," Ardern suggested. "Because the Easter bunny might not make it everywhere this year."

As of April 5, New Zealand has one of the lowest numbers of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world, Newsroom reports. This is perhaps a result of the country's prompt decision to take action as soon as possible. The island nation was one of the first to enforce precautionary measures regarding travel, implementing a soft ban when there were only eight positive cases of Coronavirus in the country. Prime Minister Ardern instituted a stricter ban on travel soon after. This was subsequently followed by New Zealand's country-wide lockdown, at a time when only 262 people had been identified as positive for COVID-19. Due to the central government's early action, New Zealand may be the first country to "completely eradicate" the disease, rather than simply "containing and managing it" until a vaccine is ready, epidemiologist Michael Baker indicated. Prime Minister Ardern's leadership may be a large reason why. The world could definitely use more politicians like her, especially during this challenging time.

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