Students across Vietnam started returning to their classrooms Monday that had been closed to curb the coronavirus.

France and Spain, two of the worst-hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic, were laying out separate roadmaps Tuesday for lifting their lockdowns, while signs emerged the virus has been all but vanquished in New Zealand and Australia.

With most countries working on ways to contain the coronavirus, New Zealand has set itself a much more ambitious goal: eliminating it altogether.

New Zealand will move from COVID-19 Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 3 at 11:59 p.m. on April 27, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.

New Zealand reported 18 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases to 1,330 in the country.

About 100,000 tourists stuck in New Zealand since it began a lockdown last week were starting to fly to their home countries Friday.

A state of emergency has been declared on Wednesday in New Zealand after 50 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the country.