Focus: Shoppers are happy to give their details in the new normal of taking personal information for contact tracing. Video / Dean Purcell
Another day of no coronavirus cases means there has been just one case this week in New Zealand, as hospitals return to normal use. Get all the important news and read the full stories in the links below.
Key developments in NZ
Life is slowly getting back to normal for many Kiwis. Photo / Alex Robertson
• There are no new cases of Covid-19 today - and just one person has tested positive in the last week. One more person has recovered from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, meaning there are now just 27 active cases in New Zealand, while two Auckland bars were shut down by police overnight after refusing to follow level 2 rules.
• Teachers could leave preschools just when they are most needed following the Covid-19 lockdown due to a big jump in the cost of their teaching fees, an industry body says.
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• Tents and portable cabins will remain at hospitals but other facilities rapidly converted to treat Covid-19 patients are returning to normal use.
• Holders of a New Zealand residence visa offshore wanting to travel to New Zealand will face a travel ban if they are coming into the country as residents for the first time, Immigration NZ says.
Business update
• The Government has scrapped some red tape for DIYers after ruling people no longer need consent for a variety of small projects around the home. The Government hopes the change will allow the construction sector to fire back up quicker on larger projects to provide jobs and assist the country's recovery from Covid-19.
• Complaints are piling up over courier companies' "snail"-paced delivery of packages. It follows a record backlog of parcels from the start of level 3. NZ Post and other courier companies have begged customers to show some grace.
• If you have a little cash to spare, bumpy times can be a great training ground for investing. Diana Clement provides advice on how to invest in a pandemic.
Around the world
• Brazil has reported more than 345,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, surpassing Russia to become the nation with the second-highest number of infections, behind only the US, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Brazil also has recorded more than 22,000 deaths, though experts believe the true numbers are higher.
• Liam Dann writes about why the Government's massive popularity could become a problem – and why he remains optimistic about the longer-term prospects for New Zealand's economy.
