Focus Live: NZ Herald Political reporter Derek Cheng speaks to director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield after an audit by infectious diseases specialist Dr Ayesha Verrall.
New Zealand, again, has no new coronavirus cases today - and one expert believes the nation can now eradicate the deadly virus. Get all the important news and read the full stories in the links below.
Key developments in NZ
• New Zealand has no new cases ofCovid-19 today. There are now only 28 active cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, and only one person is in hospital, the Ministry of Health reported in a statement this afternoon.
Kiwis are making the most of the end of lockdown - and perfect autumn weather. Photo / Alex Burton
• The level 4 lockdown was 32 of the most dramatic days in New Zealand's history. Normal life petrified in suburban homes and designated survivor lists were drawn up in the Beehive. The mood shifted at 1pm each day from initial dread and anxiety, to cautious hope and - finally - relief. Matt Nippert follows the path New Zealand took in the second part of his series reviewing 2540 pages of recently released cabinet documents and speaking to insiders.
Listen live to Newstalk ZB's coronavirus coverage
• An academic analysis of Covid-19 cases has revealed how much more effective alert level 3 and 4 were in New Zealand compared to the lockdown in Australia. And Otago University Associate Professor Brian Cox, a medically-trained epidemiologist and specialist in public health, believes New Zealand now has a chance to eradicate the virus.
• One of New Zealand's expert scientists has been influential in the fight against Covid-19. Meet Ayesha Verrall - the intrepid specialist who pushed the Government on contact tracing.
Business update
Retail shopping is back at level 2. Photo / Alex Burton
• National's new leader Todd Muller says if he leads his party to victory this election, he would be the Minister of Small Business as well as the Prime Minister. He argued this would help reinforce the fact that a Government he led would be about helping those people on the ground floor of the economy.
• Hawaiian Airlines boss Peter Ingram says his airline is closely watching the evolution of a travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia, with plenty of curiosity in Hawaii about the potential of joining the bubble.
• Hertz has filed for bankruptcy , unable to withstand the coronavirus pandemic that has crippled global travel and with it, the heavily indebted 102-year-old car rental company's business.
Around the world
• The economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic will cause US President Donald Trump to suffer a "historic defeat" in November, a national election model released by Oxford Economics has predicted. Trump today continued his push for the US economy to reopen even as the virus continues to spread, and called on governors across the country to allow churches to reopen this weekend.
• For many countries around the world, the worst of the pandemic is over – but other countries are seeing an explosion of cases.
• The Covid crisis has given world rugby bosses an opportunity to create an aligned rugby calendar, but could it lead to more top All Blacks heading offshore? Liam Napier reports.
