Phil Pennington

None of the travellers returning to New Zealand to see a family member who is close to dying have been allowed out of managed isolation.

New Zealand has increased its intensive care bed numbers to 358 in response to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, with another 200 expected by August.

A nurse at Waitemata DHB - where three staff have contracted Covid-19 - says its use of PPE has been inadequate.

Vulnerable fast food workers are speaking up about feeling unsafe but being afraid to challenge breaches of Covid-19 rules at restaurants.

Complaints of businesses breaching level 3 restrictions are flooding in, but there is uncertainty around who will police the breaches. Video, Audio

Foreign security agents would have been free to intercept New Zealanders' cellphone calls under a bill paving the way for the Apec summit next year.

A US data-mining company says its Covid-19 technology is not being used in a way that can identify individuals.

The secretive US data-mining firm Palantir founded by Silicon Valley billionaire and NZ citizen Peter Thiel has had talks with the government here about combating Covid-19. Audio

The Health Ministry has no plans to routinely re-test people for Covid-19 after they have recovered from the virus.

Businesses are desperate to know what minimum amount of contact tracing they must provide or invest in to operate under alert level 3 or, in just under three weeks, level 2.

The Opposition has taken to pouring doubt on the Health Ministry's assertion it can trace 5000 people a day who have had contact with a Covid-19 carrier. Audio

The Health Ministry has been consulting with the GCSB over tracing people as it works to get its Covid-19 systems up to speed.

There appear to be gaps in the government's data on Covid-19 that must be filled before a decision is made on reducing the lockdown level, two top advisors say.

A Christchurch couple says their insurer totally botched the repairs of their quake-damaged house - and now won't pay for it.

A Northland MP is backing home healthcare workers who want to be allowed priority entry into supermarkets.

Māori health specialists are concerned the Ministry of Health hasn't accurately collected Covid-19 data that will show the impact on Māori.

With 14 days before the lockdown period is - for now - set to end, big questions remain about how the country is going to be able to stamp out flareups of Covid-19.

An Auckland woman has spoken about the nine days it took for her to get a Covid-19 test despite being sick and having a daughter who goes to Marist College - the site of the country's biggest cluster…

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.

A Hong Kong epidemiologist says it is safer for people to wear surgical masks if they are available, but health workers must have first call when supplies are short.

Plumbers are sharing stories online about call-outs they are refusing to do but others are picking up, at the same time that some cannot carry out essential plumbing jobs due to a lack of personal…

There's also an order for 500,000 gowns, 30,000 face shields and 50,000 goggles scheduled to arrive over the coming weeks.

The government has ordered more than 200 life-saving ventilators to help treat Covid-19 patients as global demand soars. Audio

A Northland mother is worried for the safety of her severely disabled son after two support workers from a trust that helps her tested positive for Covid-19.

The country's nurses are calling for a wellbeing package that includes keeping their families safer from Covid-19.