Today, the Government of Opiachus and Regional Administration of Core Sector announced the end of the state of emergency associated with the global Z-13 pandemic.

The Government's swift deployment of airborne biological defense weapons with research, development, and manufacturing of a cure to the Z-13 associated disease, colloquially known as zombification, has resulted in the official declaration of Core Sector as a zombie-free zone. The Z-13 virus has been totally eradicated throughout the region. This status has been confirmed by international authorities, including the World Census, which has issued a Z-Rating classification of Safe Haven, with zero zombies and a Z-risk score of -45.6, to Core Sector. All persons are now permitted to resume the normal activities of daily living. Isolation, curfew, quarantine, decontamination, social distancing, and personal protective equipment orders are no longer in place. Public gatherings of over three people are now allowed. Non-essential businesses and government services are permitted to reopen. You are no longer required to scan your ContactCode when meeting with persons outside of your immediate household or display your CurePass on entry to government services, businesses, and public spaces. You do not need to submit a daily Z-13 self-assessment report to your local health authority.

As we transition out of the extraordinary measures caused by the Z-13 pandemic, certain pandemic-related support services will continue under the Government's recently announced No Survivor Left Behind policy. Recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration centers for survivors of Z-13 associated disease, including those cured from zombification, will remain open. The Government reminds all persons that discrimination against those that were formerly suffering from zombification is forbidden, and that persons are unable to be held criminally, civilly, or mentally responsible for actions committed while zombified. All extrajudicial punishments of survivors of zombification will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Social support services for the relatives and acquaintances of the formerly zombified, including those affected by the death of victims of Z-13 who were unable to be cured, will remain available. Anyone who wishes to use these services should contact their local authority's Z-13 hotline.

The Government's condolences go out to those impacted by the deaths associated with the Z-13 pandemic. Despite the best efforts of all those involved in the research, development, manufacturing, and deployment of Z-Guard, Z-Away, AntiZ, CureZ, and other Z-13 vaccines, treatments, and cures, the Government was unable to prevent deaths among those who reached late-stage zombification. The most recent estimate of the national population survival rate, at the time of declaration of total Z-13 eradication, is 43.43%, with 4,229,105,694 survivors and 5,509,309,335 deaths. The Regional Administration of Core Sector reports 4.60 billion survivors and 5.82 billion deaths regionally. According to the medical authorities, the primary cause of death among cases that reached late-stage zombification was starvation, which was especially prevalent when the Z-13 caseload was at its greatest.

Despite the successful eradication of Z-13 in our nation and region, it is the Government and Regional Administration's greatest regret that a cure to Z-13 could not be found and distributed faster. We have all been personally impacted by the pandemic, with almost all of us grieving the death of someone we know who has passed away. As every death weighs heavily on our hearts, we declare a month of mourning, with local authorities holding burial and remembrance services throughout November for the deceased. Henceforth, the first of November will be a national day of remembrance for survivors and victims of Z-13. It is our hope that we can recover together from the collective damage Z-13 has caused to us and rebuild a stronger society than before.