The country’s three major IT groups have been left out of the loop by the Government in the race to speed up critical contact tracing of virus carriers; and a fuel industry boss says the sharp drop in air travel during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an oversupply of jet fuel in the country that’s led to a build up of stock and pressure on storage facilities.
1.The country’s three major IT groups have been left out of the loop by the Government in the race to speed up critical contact tracing of virus carriers. This is despite the consensus that rapid, mass tracing is the single most important thing New Zealand can do to get out of lockdown.
2.The Queen has given a special address to the UK and the Commonwealth on the global coronavirus pandemic. In her address, which was broadcast on TV, radio and social media, she thanked everyone on the NHS frontline.
3.The number of deaths from the coronavirus around the world has risen to more than 1.2 million. One of the worst hit countries, Spain has fined more than 300,000 people for disregarding restrictions implemented three-weeks ago.
4.A fuel industry boss says the sharp drop in air travel during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an oversupply of jet fuel in the country that’s led to a build up of stock and pressure on storage facilities. The chief executive of Z Energy Mike Bennett, says the industry is weighing up options for the excess jet fuel.
5.A health expert says the country’s rural areas need a different strategy to deal with the coronavirus. An associate professor of rural health at the University of Otago, Garry Nixon says rural communities are more vulnerable.
6.Mothers who flee domestic violence are set to gain greater rights in international child abduction cases. The Court of Appeal has ruled in favor of a mother fighting to keep her son in New Zealand, away from her abusive partner living in Australia.
7.Requests for food bags from Wellington City Mission have quadrupled since the alert level 4 took effect. The Mission says it would normally hand out 80 bags in a week but in the past week, they’ve given out more than 300.
8.The head of the rugby league body Todd Greenberg, says a State of Origin series would be a great way to welcome back fans when the game starts up again with the season suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
