Coronavirus: What you need to know about today's big developments

There were major developments today in the battle against the coronavirus crisis as the Government announced the rollout of routine testing for Covid-19, eight more cases were confirmed and Kiwis living overseas were urged to return home. Here is a recap of the big stories, with links to our full coverage.

Keep up to date with the latest advice on travel, schools and self-isolation.

How widespread is Covid-19?

• There are eight new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand - one in Christchurch, two in Waikato and another in Invercargill, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says.

Four of the new cases are in Auckland. That brings the total to 20 since the start of the outbreak.

• Routine testing for Covid-19 across the country will be rolled out to provide more clues about whether there is community transmission, Health Minister David Clark says. Read more on how it will become part of the normal routine for testing for the common flu.

• Friends and relatives of some of New Zealand's approximately 43,000 retirement village residents are being temperature-checked, asked to sign health and travel declarations and stop non-essential visits. Find out the latest on access to rest homes.

• New Zealanders currently temporarily living overseas are being asked to move home as soon as possible, due to the restriction on the number of flights now operating. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says: "If you can get home, come home now."

Life under Covid-19 and lessons we can learn

• Coronavirus has brought anxiety over finances, jobs and the wellbeing of our children and older loved ones. How do we cope with life under Covid-19? As Cherie Howie reports, there is hope.

• In 1918, the great influenza pandemic killed thousands of New Zealanders in the space of just two months. Lessons learned from that crisis remain the bedrock of our pandemic response today. Kirsty Johnston speaks to historian Geoffrey Rice, author of the book Black November, about what 1918 can teach us in the age of coronavirus.

• Amid the coronavirus outbreak various "theories" have been discussed - mostly online - on how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. We put these to the test.

Around the world

• Deportations from Australia have been put on hold due to the travel restrictions imposed either side of the Tasman during the Covid-19 pandemic. Australian Border Force has told New Zealand police that planned removals up to March 30 have been postponed.

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• The European Union's space agency's earth-observation satellites have detected a significant reduction in the pollutant nitrogen dioxide, a byproduct of the use of diesel motors and other human activities, in northern Italy as the advance of the Covid-19 has led to drastic measures curtailing ordinary life.