Morning Report for Thursday 19 August 2021

6:11 AM.Mandatory mask wearing is now in force. If you're going to the supermarket, petrol station, dairy or to a pharmacy you have to wear one and so do staff.

Countdown though won't be automatically… Read more Audio

6:12 AM.Many university students have been rushing to get home because of the lockdown.

Students spoken to by RNZ say their hostels have emptied out.

Wellington student Claire Thomas told RNZ Education… Read more Audio

6:24 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Read more Audio

6:27 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Read more Audio

6:38 AM.About 900 people were at one of the central Auckland bars on Friday night, visited by someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Bar 101 on Elliot Street bills itself online as Auckland's premiere… Read more Audio

6:56 AM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Read more Audio

7:10 AM.The Director-General of Health, Ashley Bloomfield, says he expects there to be a rise in Covid-19 case numbers to be announced today.

The country is anxiously awaiting new information from health… Read more Audio

7:16 AM.There were long queues at testing centres yesterday, particularly in Auckland, where more than 3000 people went through the stations wanting a Covid-19 swab.

Health officials struggled to keep up… Read more Audio

7:18 AM.From today, Pak n Save and New World will turn anyone away who is not wearing a mask.

Owners Foodstuffs says the rule will apply to all of its different store brands.

Masks are now compulsory for… Read more Audio

7:23 AM.Nurses are anxious about their workplace safety if the Covid-19 outbreak escalates, believing they're wearing PPE unfit for purpose and that a stretched staff will be placed under excessive pressure.

7:33 AM.The Coromandel's large population of older people are nervously waiting to see if more Covid-19 cases are discovered in the area.

Rest homes are shut for visits and local leaders are urging people to… Read more Audio

7:37 AM.Northlanders are hoping rulebreakers will be kept out of the region today, in the final hours of inter-regional travel.

People who were away from home when lockdown began have until midnight tonight… Read more Audio

7:40 AM.Police will be out again today enforcing the rules of the level four lockdown.

Yesterday there were eight arrests at anti-lockdown protests and drivers across the country were checked to ensure… Read more Audio

7:43 AM.The country is anxiously awaiting new information from health authorities about the number of emerging Covid-19 cases.

One of three new cases confirmed last night has no known link to the existing… Read more Audio

7:50 AM.The Reserve Bank has made it patently clear higher interest rates are coming.

Governor Adrian Orr says the OCR would likely have been raised yesterday, but the Covid-19 lockdown put a stop to that.

… Read more Audio

7:54 AM.The military mission to get New Zealand's remaining citizens out of Afghanistan is to depart from Auckland's Whenuapai Base on Thursday morning.

About 40 personnel will board the Hercules aircraft… Read more Audio

8:10 AM.Applications will open tomorrow for the wage subsidy for employers which have a 40 percent drop in revenue because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

The government says it has the resources to be able to pay… Read more Audio

8:18 AM.People right across Auckland are queuing at Covid-19 testing stations before they've even opened this morning, as the number of locations of interest balloons to almost 70.

There are currently 10… Read more Audio

8:22 AM.Seven hours - that's how long some people are waiting in line for a Covid-19 test.

Liz Stedman joined the queue in Hamilton just before midday yesterday when the testing station at Claudelands Event… Read more Audio

8:26 AM.Health officials have their fingers crossed the country's vaccination roll-out won't have lost momentum as it resumes this morning.

After pausing the process yesterday, a reduced number of arms will… Read more Audio

8:36 AM.The lockdown prompted a rash of alcohol purchases by students at some university hostels followed by an exodus of young people trying to get home.

Students have told RNZ that many are worried the… Read more Audio

8:40 AM.Teachers fear young children with poor access to the internet could fall behind on their schooling, if the lockdown is extended.

Schools have provisions in place for longer-term remote learning, but… Read more Audio

8:43 AM.Māori health providers in Taranaki fear disinformation spread via social media is partly to blame for the poor vaccination rates among Māori in the region.

Currently only 1366 Taranaki Māori aged… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.The Taliban have opened fire on and killed some Afghans protesting against the militants' takeover of the country.

The group are continuing to tighten their grip on the country with senior leaders… Read more Audio