Tony Blakely

Scientists have a tough message for New Zealanders struggling to come home: it is far too risky to throw open the gates just yet.

The Grounded Kiwis group has been calling for more rooms in managed… Audio

Victoria has ditched its Covid-19 elimination strategy as the way out of lockdown, and is instead casting its eye on vaccinations.

The majority of the state's restrictions will stay in place until 70… Audio

Parts of New South Wales and Victoria have been in lockdown for weeks, yet continue to grapple with rising cases. New South Wales set a new record yesterday - with more than 1,000 daily cases - but… Audio

Melburnians face another two weeks in lockdown, with officials saying the city is teetering on "the brink" of losing control of the Delta outbreak.

A raft of new restrictions came into effect at… Audio

Melburnians are waking up to another week in lockdown, as the state of Victoria records another 20 community cases of Covid-19.

With five of the new infections considered "mystery cases", officials… Audio

With the deadly Delta variant of Covid-19 banging at the door, the government has issued a strong warning to New Zealanders, saying it won't hesitate to plunge the country into lockdown. Covid-19… Audio

Thousands of anti-lockdown protesters took to the streets in violent clashes with police across Australia during the weekend.

Police have issued more than 500 fines, with most relating to… Audio

An Australia-based expert is warning people will need to change their mindset towards Covid-19 as the vaccination programme rolls out.

Epidemiologist Tony Blakely has released his modelling on… Audio

New South Wales recorded 97 new cases of Covid-19 yesterday with its lockdown extended for at least two more weeks. South Australia has confirmed 2 cases in hotel quarantine. And Victoria recorded… Audio

Australia has tightened its vaccine, quarantine and testing rules.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison held an emergency National Cabinet meeting on the Covid-19 crisis with state and territory leaders on… Audio

In Australia, millions of people are currently under lockdown or tough restrictions, after a day of Covid chaos.

Thirty new cases were detected in New South Wales, while an outbreak in the Northern… Audio

New Zealanders will be allowed to return home from Melbourne on special "green flights" from midnight on Tuesday, despite ongoing lockdowns and community outbreaks in Victoria.

New Zealander Tony… Audio

Victorian health authorities have confirmed five new community Covid-19 cases - including one mystery case.

This takes the number of this latest outbreak to 40.

One of the new cases is a heathcare… Audio

The number of Covid-19 cases in Melbourne is rising.

Yesterday another four community infections were recorded, bringing the total number detected in Melbourne's northern suburbs over the past two… Audio

Victoria has recorded another four Covid-19 infections bringing the Melbourne cluster to nine.

The government here has suspended the quarantine travel bubble with Victoria for at least 72 hours.

… Video, Audio

Four new cases of Covid-19 have been identified in Melbourne's northern suburbs, and the source remains unclear. The first case was a man who showed symptoms of the coronavirus on the 20th of May. and… Audio

Sydneysiders can fly into New Zealand this morning after a flight ban was lifted at midnight last night.

Flights were temporarily suspended from New South Wales to New Zealand after a Sydney resident… Audio

Flights from New South Wales to New Zealand will be paused from midnight tonight for 48 hours in the wake of a case of Covid-19 in Sydney with no yet-known source.

Professor Tony Blakely talks to… Video, Audio

Immigration officials are scrambling to explain how a man was able to fly from lockdown in Perth to Auckland via Sydney, without being stopped.

The man arrived in Auckland on Monday and continued on… Audio

Multiple Australian states have imposed restrictions on travellers from Queensland after Brisbane entered a snap three-day lockdown.

On Monday health authorities confirmed four community cases of the… Audio