Today on the Wire, Emily Bell speaks to Doctor Amanda Kvalsvig, an epidemiologist at the University of Otago campus in Wellington, about the debate about N95 masks and how important they are.
The move to the red setting has posed a serious hit to the music and arts industry, with all events over 100 people being cancelled and many artists losing out on work. Jemima Huston interviews event directors John Minty from Splore, Matthew Davis from The Others Way and Dan Hesson from Freqs Out East about their cancellation and postponement decisions. Jemima also speaks to musician and artist Jazmine-Mary about the letter they have written to the Prime Minister asking for support for artists and performers who have lost their jobs in the face of the red setting.
Finally, Emily talks to Manager of the South Island Kōkako Trust Inger Perkins about the search for the South Island Kōkako bird and how the public can get involved.
Yesterday the government announced that face masks worn in the red setting must be medical, surgical or three-layer cloth masks rather than scarves, t-shirts or other face coverings. They are also expected to announce the next two phases of their Omicron response, including incorporating rapid antigen tests (RATs) more into New Zealand's testing strategy.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston speaks to ACT Party Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden about the government's latest change to mask mandates under the red setting and bringing in the more regular use of RATs.
Today on the Tuesday Wire, Jemima Huston and Emily Bell speak to educators about returning to classrooms during the Omicron outbreak. Emily interviews Stephen Lethbridge, President of the Auckland Primary Principals' Association, about how schools are operating under the red light setting and Jemima speaks to educators Liv and Chris about how Covid-19 has impacted their work and how they are feeling about heading back to in-person learning this year.
Jemima follows up on her piece last week about the impact of the red setting on the arts, music and events industry. As there has not yet been any targeted government support made available, Jemima talks to freelance tour manager and promoter representative Sarin Moddle about where people should go for help. They discuss what resources are available for people working in arts, music and culture right now and how the public can support the industry.
Emily interviews the National Coordinator for the Public Transport Users Association Jon Reeves about the government's project plan for the Auckland City Light Rail.
Finally, Jemima talks to Event Producer for the Auckland Lantern Festival Eric Ngan about the history of the event and its online launch today.
95bFM