New Zealanders face mental health, economic challenges in pandemic recovery

FILE PHOTO: A man walks by a social distancing sign on the first day of New Zealand's new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) safety measure that mandates wearing of a mask on public transport, in Auckland, New Zealand, August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Fiona Goodall

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealanders are still reporting negative impacts on mental health and income from the coronavirus pandemic, despite living in one of the world's few countries to have largely returned to normal.

The Pacific island nation, which has had only about 2,200 cases and 26 deaths in a population of 5 million, enforced strict lockdowns and social distancing rules that helped to virtually eliminate the virus.