There are 50 new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand - the lowest daily total reported in a fortnight.
All Whites coach Danny Hay is preparing for a scenario where he is unable to select any overseas-based players for future games in 2020.
The Covid-19 outbreak has wreaked havoc on the football world, with leagues suspended and all international match activity cancelled.
The All Whites lost two valuable fixturesagainst Oman and Bahrain (scheduled for mid-March) while the Oceania Nations Cup (June) and the Olympics (July-August) are also not going ahead as planned.
Hay remains confident that the All Whites will take the field this year, with World Cup qualifiers scheduled for September, October and November, but admits the team could look extremely different.
"Hopefully those games will occur, but who knows, we don't have a crystal ball," Hay told the Herald. The Islands haven't been affected at this stage and we seem to be getting on top of it here.
"But if we play it might have to be a locally-based All Whites team. It obviously wouldn't be ideal but I have to start planning for all scenarios.
"It could be the case, because how do we get Chris Wood (Burnley) or Ryan Thomas (PSV Eindhoven) back, if they have to do a two-week quarantine or something like that?"
Domestic-based All Whites teams weren't that uncommon in the early 1980s (the vast majority of the 1982 World Cup side played in the National League) or for periods in the 1990s and early 2000s.
But for the last decade or so more and more Kiwis have ventured overseas, at younger ages, meaning that a typical All Whites team assembles from across the globe.
Burnley striker Chris Wood would have to spend two weeks in self-isolation upon his return to New Zealand. Photo / Photosport
Hay's first-choice side against Ireland in November featured only three New Zealand-based players in the starting XI, with Wellington Phoenix trio Stefan Marinovic, Liberato Cacace and Callum McCowatt.
Taking on some of the stronger Island nations with only domestic players could be a tough proposition, though the Phoenix under coach Ufuk Talay have a strong local core.
There is also a smattering of former or potential All Whites throughout the ISPS Handa Premiership.
Hay has spent the last few weeks maintaining contact with his diaspora of footballers around the world, as much about wellbeing as football matters.
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"It's good to check in and make sure they are all doing okay, there are a lot of different situations out there.
"We have also put together a comprehensive video to reinforce our style of play. It was disappointing that the games were called off but we can't afford to stand still"
Hay was also involved in the recent recruitment process for the national under-20 and under-17 coaches, part of the panel for all the head coach interviews, while sitting in on the assistant coach discussions as well.
"The process has given some real clarity of the position that we are in and what we need to do to evolve as a football nation and take the next step," said Hay, who was delighted with the appointments of Martin Bullock (under-17s) and Tony Readings (under-20s).
"There is a golden opportunity for us to shake the tree a little bit more and start to rectify some stuff that will make the All Whites a lot better."
According to Hay, that centres around strategic alignment from the under-17s to the national team, something that has been mastered in Germany, Spain and Iceland, to name three examples.
"If we really align what the 20s and 17s are doing, then for those players coming through it is going to be that much easier. Ultimately it is all about getting more players capable of playing at the highest level and we need to start preparing them for that journey."
