There are five new cases of Covid-19 today. There was a further death - a woman in her 70s from St Margaret's rest home in Te Atatu. Education Minister Chris Hipkins says that distance learning will continue 'for some time'.
The number of new coronavirus cases in New Zealand continues to decline, as schools and childcare centres raise questions ahead of next week's reopening at level 3. Get all the important news and read the full stories in the links below.
Key developments in NZ
Education Minister Chris Hipkins. Photo / Getty
• Education Minister Chris Hipkinssays he will not be "heavy-handed" if some childcare centres stay closed when they are allowed to reopen next week. He faced questions today after the Early Childhood Council, whose members serve about 65,000 of the 200,000 children in early childhood education, advised its members to stay closed during alert level 3, while a leading Australasian public health expert argued New Zealand is taking "a calculated risk" in reopening schools and early childhood centres. However, Hipkins repeated messages from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that the Government wants most children to stay at home during level 3, and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the chances of a Covid-19 case coming through the school gates was very low.
• A woman who lived in a West Auckland rest home has died of coronavirus. The announcement of the further death came as Bloomfield revealed only five new Covid-19 cases - all of which are linked to existing cases. The woman who died was in her 70s and lived at St Margaret's rest home in Te Atatu, which is a coronavirus cluster. It brings the Covid-19 death toll in New Zealand to 13. Three people remain in ICUs, none are in a critical condition, while the issues surrounding frontline workers' access to personal protective equipment, including masks, will be independently reviewed.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Photo / Getty
• National leader Simon Bridges has claimed the Government hadn't done its homework on how many businesses will go out of business due to an additional five days in lockdown. Bridges also questioned the impact on the health system and said the decision on schools opening had been poorly explained. Bridges said it would be helpful to see the advice in writing that the Government had relied on "in black and white" to understand the rationale.
National leader Simon Bridges. Photo / Mark Mitchell
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• Delicious takeaway, fly fishing, motorsport racing, trips to the theatre - Kiwis across the country have been daydreaming about the things they plan to do at the end of the lockdown. School kids, young workers, business owners and retirees tell the Herald how they've been coping and what they just can't wait to do when New Zealand moves to level 3 next Tuesday.
Some early childhood centres may not open at level 3. Photo / Michael Craig
Business update
• One of the strongest harvests on record, together with a big lift in sales resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, have combined to brighten the outlook for New Zealand's mānuka honey sector. While domestic sales aimed at the incoming tourism sector have been hit hard, the harvest, which ends soon, is well up on last year, and mānuka honey is in demand overseas for its claimed health benefits.
• Covid-19 has hit some sectors hard with widespread redundancies and closures, but others have been on hiring sprees, snatching up laid-off workers, and desperate to hire more. For those looking for a job, there are plenty of opportunities despite the lockdown – and here are some of the skills and positions in demand.
• US President Donald Trump has announced the suspension of immigration amid the Covid-19 crisis. Taking to Twitter, he said he will be "signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States". He did not specify whether there would be any exceptions. Travel to a number of countries remains restricted from the US, with land borders with Mexico and Canada only open for those returning home or for cargo.
• Singapore seemed to have the coronavirus pandemic under control - until cases doubled. Singapore's coronavirus caseload has exploded, with more than 8000 cases confirmed, the highest in Southeast Asia. The spread of the coronavirus suggests that it might be difficult for the United States, Europe and the rest of the world to return to the way they were anytime soon, even when viral curves appear to have flattened.
• Golfers around the country have broken out into a polite clap with golf back on the table for the public next week. New Zealand Golf confirmed that the sport will be able to be played at level 3 and chief executive Dean Murphy said full regulations will be finalised tomorrow. Murphy said there may need to be some monitoring, but he trusted golfers to play safely and stick to social distancing rules.
