There have been 83 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in New Zealand overnight. That brings the total number of cases to 451. 50 people have recovered but 12 people are in hospital.
Former Fair Go presenter Kevin Milne has moved out of his marital bed to avoid catching coronavirus.
Milne, 71, is living in his "own bubble within a bubble" and self-isolating from his wife.
"I moved into another bedroom a week ago and [am] living separately given I'm older and have some health issues," he said.
"We've taken some extreme steps and replaced a goodnight kiss with a yoga bow to each other, which means 'I respect you'. So the romance hasn't gone out of it even though I have left the marital bed for the first time in 40 years. I didn't like it at first - the first night we tried it I ended back in with Linda. But we have to be cautious."
Linda, Milne's wife, is a primary school teacher and had been worried her husband might be susceptible to the virus given his compromised immunity.
The father-of-four has had pneumonia twice recently as well as a brain tumour and open-heart surgery over the years. Last week Milne had an MRI scan and was told his specialist was putting all his efforts into fighting the virus and he was unlikely to hear from him until the fight was over.
"I was annoyed initially that I couldn't get his interpretation of the scan but he's dead right really, that's where his efforts should be. My GP got the results and I was okay."
Milne says living with the threat of catching Covid-19 is like waiting for a "major, catastrophic earthquake" to happen.
"We are all sitting back waiting to see what sort of calamity this might be."
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The septuagenarian doesn't have a problem being labelled "old and vulnerable" and had been overwhelmed by the kindness of others offering to do his shopping.
"It's like the first time someone stands up and offers you a seat on the bus - on the one hand, you are very proud of it, but you also slightly knocked back you are that old. So when people offer to do your shopping there are two emotions really, but by and large that emotion is incredible gratitude."
He has a message for other "oldies" who have a slightly "gung ho" attitude towards coronavirus.
"They may have been through a lot in life - like the war - and they think they can get through this as well. I hope my fellow 'oldies' are very cautious and they listen carefully to what they're being told by the Prime Minister. I know it seems funny that over 70s should be told what to do but they ought to 'do as you are told", he said.
"The kids have been fantastic, they have done everything they can to keep me safe."
Last week his daughter Tommie, 18, a first-year student at the University of Otago moved back to Wellington to stay with her brother Rory, 34, and his girlfriend in Lower Hutt - nearly an hour from Milne's home in Raumati.
Her older brothers, Alex, 37, and Jake, 31, are in London but the family stays in touch daily.
"I'm sure Tommie would've loved to have come home but she moved in with her brother just in case she was bringing weird germs home. I feel sad the boys are so far away but they are healthy and they are confident they will get through," Milne said.
