Morning Report

Principals are expecting few children will turn up for class when schools partially reopen next week.

They say early indications range from none at all to as many as 15 percent of students returning.

Schools and early childhood centres are reopening on Wednesday for the children of parents who need to return to work at Alert Level 3 and for those who cannot learn from home.

RNZ's education correspondent, John Gerritsen, reports.

The phones are running hot in the National Party caucus as MPs frantically try to figure out whether to replace Simon Bridges as leader.

It comes after a massive backlash to a Facebook post and media release criticising the Prime Minister's decision to extend Alert Level 4 for another week.

Bridges accused the government of not having "done the groundwork" to safely release the country from the harshest level of lockdown.

RNZ's Political Editor Jane Patterson speaks to Philippa Tolley.

Community checkpoints are continuing to pop up in response to Covid-19.

Police have elected not to shut them down for now, although that could change once New Zealand gets to Alert Level 2.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster speaks to Corin Dann.

Taranaki iwi are worried that going into Level 3 could be devastating for local Maori and it's going to set up checkpoints around the region.

Iwi leaders say not enough Maori have been tested for Covid-19 and they are taking matters into their own hands.

A Covid-19 tester says she's making grown men cry every day but the long shifts in sweltering PPE are making a difference.

DHBs say they've been busy testing a lot more people with the most minor of Covid-19 symptoms since the Prime Minister put the call out last week to get tested even if you have a runny nose.

One of those doing the mahi on the ground, is nurse Sue Wilson, who's at the Invercargill testing centre.

Her team is working nine-hour shifts in head-to-toe personal protective equipment - only recognisable the names scrawled on their gowns.

She told RNZ's Health Correspondent Rowan Quinn it can be daunting for people seeing them dressed in their gear - and its not much fun from the inside either.

It's the last weekend in lockdown, as the country moves from level four to level three restrictions on Tuesday. Authorities are warning people not to become complacent as the shift approaches.

The police say everyone must stick to the lockdown rules over the ANZAC holiday and they'll be taking action against anyone caught breaking them.

There has been a dramatic drop in the number of new Covid-19 cases - just three yesterday - that's back to the lows of early last month.

Sixteen people have died but more than 70 percent of those who caught the disease have now recovered.

Community transmission is around 4 percent of cases.

Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker speaks to Philippa Tolley.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Covid-19 has hit Chinese restaurants particularly hard with many suffering a loss of business well before lockdown.

Some Chinese food outlets say moving to Alert Level 3 next week will provide some relief, but others say it still won't be worth reopening.

RNZ's Chen Liu spoke to some of them.

Singapore is extending its lockdown until 1 June, in a bid to slow a steep rise in Covid-19 cases.

Initially it appeared they had done well in containing the virus, but now the infection is spreading - predominantly among migrant workers in cramped dormitories.

Corin Dann spoke to senior producer at CNN James Griffths - who's based in Hong Kong.

He said at the start of the month Singapore was considered one of the places that had got their coronavirus response right.

The compound which is now a front runner as a treatment option for Covid-19 was created by a New Zealand scientist.

A number of anti-viral drugs are currently being investigated as potential treatments for the novel coronavirus.

Now a group of scientists from New Zealand have asked the Government for funding, so that when an effective anti-viral drug is identified, New Zealand has the ability to manufacture it here.

Charlotte Cook reports.