Morning Report

The High Court has allowed a man to leave mandatory quarantine to visit his dying father, despite having recently returned from the United Kingdom.

The case has raised questions about the way the Ministry of Health handles applications for a compassionate exemption from quarantine.

The Prime Minister yesterday said 18 people had been granted such exemptions.

However, a spokesperson for Ardern later said she had been given inaccurate information, and that as Morning Report said yesterday, there have been 24 requests for exemption from quarantine to visit dying relatives - none of which have been granted.

The Prime Minister has now asked the Minister of Health for these cases to be reviewed in light of the Court's ruling.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield speaks to Kim Hill.

High street banks are taking flak for not doing enough to support those Kiwis who are struggling financially during the Covid-19 lockdown. Critics say efforts trumpeted loudly as "customer care", such as mortgage deferrals, aren't actually helping. The amount of money that banks funnel to charity is also being described as a bare minimum but the financial institutions say profits are hurting right now and they're doing what they can. Emma Hatton reports.

President Trump says as many as 100,000 Americans could die from Covid-19. In a virtual 'Town Hall' on Fox News, the President revised earlier statements where he said 60,000 lives would be lost.

Just under 70,000 people in the US have died so far from the virus - the most out of any country in the world.

Trump says he believes they'll have a vaccine sooner than many think.

In the televised event, the President also accused the Chinese government of covering up the extent and the severity of the coronavirus to the World Health Organisation.

The comments comes after the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo claimed there is "enormous evidence" the coronavirus outbreak originated in a Chinese laboratory, but did not provide any of the alleged evidence.

Washington correspondent Simon Marks speaks to Kim Hill.

Zero cases might be a cause for celebration but it'll be the tamest party on the block if health experts have their way.

They say New Zealanders can pat themselves on the back for reaching the first day with no new cases since Covid-19 started a consistent climb seven weeks ago.

But they warn that there is still a lot of hard work to be done.

RNZ's health correspondent Rowan Quinn reports.

The secretive US data firm Palantir has been in talks with the Privacy Commissioner, as well as pitching its pandemic-tracking software to the Health Ministry.

Palantir - co-owned by New Zealand citizen Peter Thiel - is providing Covid-19 software to numerous governments, reportedly for free, but its links to spy and defence agencies continue to dog its reputation.

Phil Pennington is looking into this.

The country has been hammered with the message to stick to your own bubble and stay indoors for weeks.

With economic pressure growing the Government is seriously considering opening up New Zealand's entire bubble to Australia.

That idea prompted Australian leader Scott Morrison to ask Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to video call into his ministerial Cabinet meeting today.

But a public health expert has warned the two countries first need to get on the same page about what elimination of Covid-19 actually means.

Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker says a travel bubble would need safeguards like rapid contact tracing, mass masking in places like airports - and even a shared definition of the word elimination.

RNZ political reporter Jo Moir has the story.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Mayors around the country have filed shopping lists of 'shovel ready' projects they hope will get a share of government cash aimed at boosting the post-Covid economy.

They want funding for water pipes, roads, and ports and while some are pleased the government is moving to fast-track the projects, others are worried it could lead to mistakes.

Charlotte Cook reports.

Monday marked the beginning of a new way of life for many people around the world, as a number of countries eased their restrictions.

In Italy, a country with one of the highest death tolls in the world, 4.5-million people returned to work, with the wearing of facemasks compulsory for everyone.

The Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says the country is "turning a new page".

Rome correspondent Josephine McKenna speaks to Kim Hill.

The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will join Australia's national cabinet meeting at midday today to discuss whether a trans-Tasman bubble is a possibility.

For weeks New Zealanders have been repeatedly told to stick to their own bubble and stay indoors.

Now pressure is growing for a special exemption for travel between New Zealand and Australia.

Public health expert Michael Baker warns the two countries first need to get on the same page about what elimination of Covid-19 actually means.