Morning Report

A health and safety consultant says Worksafe is being too slack on businesses breaching Alert Level 3 restrictions, jeopardising any move to Level 2.

The Government says its new compliance team of four agencies including Worksafe is focused on educating businesses and the public.

Allister Rose, an ex-police officer and ex-Worksafe inspector in Wellington, lodged a complaint about builders sharing earmuffs and not keeping physical distancing.

He says Worksafe showed it has plenty of good advice - but lacks a desire to enforce the rules.

News from the rural and farming sector.

A brief update of movements in the financial sector.

The US now has more than a million confirmed coronavirus cases, and 58,500 deaths, more than the total number of Americans killed during the Vietnam War.

While the number of Covid-19 numbers hits staggering numbers, so do the financial figures.

Economic activity has fallen 4.8 percent, conjuring up fresh fears that America is on the brink of another Great Depression.

Analysts say there is much worse to come, and the outlook depends on the way in which the government deals with the Covid-19 pandemic in the months ahead.

From Washington, Simon Marks reports.

Coronavirus: US economy shrinks 4.8 percent; Coronavirus: Complaints over business breaking Level 3 rules; Coronavirus: WorkSafe on Alert Level 3 enforcement; Coronavirus: Cancer patient's hospital stay for small procedure; Coronavirus: National Party on Level 3 business breaches; Coronavirus: Govt needs to give immigrants benefits - Advisor.

Many Wellingtonians not yet back at work today will be keeping their eyes peeled for a young humpback whale, after it visited the harbour yesterday morning.

The whale was spotted near the Interislander ferry terminal and, so far, hasn't been seen again.

Project Jonah's general manager, Daren Grover, speaks to Philippa Tolley.

Keen golfers have been lining up to get back out on the greens now that the country has moved to Alert Level 3.

Barry Brown, captain of the Royal Wellington Golf Club, was one of the first to tee off.

He speaks to Corin Dann.

Several thousand schools and early learning centres are partially reopening today for the first time in five weeks.

Because it's Alert Level 3, only the children up to Year 10 whose parents can't work from home are allowed to return to class, as are those who can't study from home.

RNZ education correspondent John Gerritsen is outside Berhampore School in Wellington.

Universities are being hammered by a massive downturn in the $5 billion foreign student industry. Some are now considering asking staff to take pay cuts to help their institutions survive.

The Tertiary Education Union says the universities have strong balance sheets and surpluses accumulated in earlier years.

Derek McCormack is Auckland University of Technology vice-chancellor and chairs Universities New Zealand - a committee representing the country's eight universities.

He speaks to Corin Dann.

One of the country's worst hit regions for novel coronavirus is confident its turned a corner.

There are just 14 active cases in the Southern DHB compared with 101 a couple of weeks ago.

RNZ's Anan Zaki has more.