While some parents are sharing picture-perfect posts about their home-schooling skills, others are pulling their hair out as they try to work and get their kids through this sudden introduction to remote learning. What lessons can we take from this crazy situation?

On today's show: * What's the NSW schools report all about? * Queensland is reducing some restrictions. Why now? * People are volunteering to be exposed to coronavirus to help test the vaccine. Is that a good idea? * What is the role of obesity in serious outcomes from COVID-19? * Why do I need a flu shot to visit my father in an aged care home? * Are vegans and vegetarians the least affected by COVID-19?

Steven wrote to us with a song suggestion which is actually the title track of this segment Alone Together - where you put up music that helps us all in this time of disconnection. We're playing one of those songs each day on Life Matters as a way of lifting all our spirits.

Is true privacy even possible in the internet age, and what is at stake if we don't protect what we have left?

On today's show: * What is the COVIDSafe app supposed to do? * Is it spying on me? * Is being fit and healthy a good thing to help tackle coronavirus? * What happened to all those suburb hotspots? * Is there a possibility of infertility occurring from this virus?

When writer Ailsa Piper was planning for her 60th birthday, she decided that instead of receiving presents from friends, she wanted 60 minutes of their time. What were their tips were for ageing wisely and making the best of every day?

In this time of keeping our distance, we can still connect. Through music. The Life Matters team invites you to email us your song choice to help us all in these troubled times, and the story behind that choice. We'll being playing one of those songs each day on Life Matters as a way of lifting all our spirits. We can't wait to hear from you!

Claims abound about how COVID-19 is affecting online dating. Some say that because the prospect of physical sex is off the table, people are spending more time getting to know each other. Think less ghosting, more talking. But researchers warn it’s too soon to make any major declarations about the changing nature of online trysts.

When we're hidden away from each other, with only the faint whiff of a figgy cologne to fuel our romantic fantasies, what hope is there for new love to bloom? In the search for romance, Melanie Tait follows her nose.

On today's show: * Were the lockdowns worth it? * Why is the tracing app critical time set to 15 minutes? * When is it likely that we will be able to travel interstate again?

Once a wealthy business owner, Brent Flower, or "Hammer" as he prefers, says that when he gave away everything he owned, he felt like he could fly.

In today's Alone Together series, Pam has suggested a track that is totally out there, so you have been warned! We'll be playing one of those songs each day on Life Matters as a way of lifting all our spirits. This one lifts the roof.

If a future employer asks you: "What did you do during lockdown?" Then "I watched a lot of TV" probably won't go down so well. Today, two career experts join us to talk about how to use your time in lockdown to build a solid career plan and make yourself as employable as possible.

On today's show: * What is happening with children in the UK? * What about younger adults suffering from stroke in America? * Is loss of sense of taste and smell a good enough symptom to get tested? * How does COVID-19 possibly change the way we think?

David Wardong Collard and John Holley share the story of their working relationship and friendship.

Julianne McLeod was a language teacher to older migrants in Newcastle when she had a light globe moment. The result created waves of confidence in her students that extended beyond the classroom. To the beach.

It's Mary's song today for our Alone Together series. She writes: "My son was helping me in the garden and announced 'There's a lobster in the grate!' A yabby had been washed out of one Adelaide's many creeks and had managed to climb up our drain and through narrow bars where it cowered under a leaf..."

While you're spending so much time at home you may be doing a lot more cooking and even picking up skills and trying things you had never dreamt of attempting before. But as your shopping bills rise and your skill set expands, what are the consequences for your local restaurant or takeaway?

On today's show: * What's remdesivir? * Where does it come from? * What do we know about side effects? * What about that study from China that found it provided no benefit? * Is lifting restrictions now too risky? * What does all the research into SARS-CoV-2 mean for the common cold?

A chain email arrives in your inbox from two friends requesting you send a poem of your choice on to 20 others. You really like both these people and don't want to hurt their feelings by not participating, but you have a deep dislike of chain letters and loading up the internet with bumph. You feel really conflicted about this. What should you do?

Your song for us this Friday comes from Lee who writes that 2018 was her annus horribilis. One song that helped was from The Panics. "His beautiful voice, great harmonies and lyrics are perfect for the current situation especially when we really don't know where this current situation will lead us."

Now, more than ever, are we sacrificing privacy online for connection? The changes in online dating behaviour during lockdown, and ruminations on aging when you still feel 28. Plus a song for its namesake.

Eating out, going clothes shopping, hugging a friend? Depending on your circumstances, these are some of the things you may not have been able to do during the lockdown. But coronavirus restrictions are slowly being eased in some parts of the country - so what's top of your 'to-do' list, when you're allowed to do it?

On today's show: * What's going on with school openings? * How important is Vitamin D and what role could it play in COVID-19 infections? * Could low blood oxygen be used as a way to see if someone has COVID-19? And Norman has some information from a yet-to-be-published paper about why some South Korean recovered patients seem to be testing positive again for COVID-19.

What can we learn from living through lockdown to make our cities and urban areas better places to live into the future?

* What are some possible origins of coronavirus? * Are you more likely to get coronavirus if you work in an abattoir? * Can I get sick from meat processed in an abattoir if the worker had coronavirus? * Could herbal medicine play a role in helping stop or treat coronavirus? And Norman and Tegan discuss research regarding skin rashes that are being reported by some COVID-19 patients.

Do you have a vocation that's been passed through your family for generations? For Dr Mark Wenitong — the legacy of health work has been passed from his mother, through him and onto his son. And that's not the only family tradition being continued... Reggae music has also been a big part of his family's livelihood.

Long before Michael Mosley became known for the 5:2 diet, he was obsessed with another topic — sleep. Dr Mosley returns to Life Matters to talk about his sleep tips, as well as what we can learn about sleep from some of our best-known celebrities, amongst them: Margaret Thatcher, Mark Wahlberg, and Keith Richards.

How's your sleep going? Monash University is asking us to volunteer for their latest sleep study, which even examines the nature of our dreams during the pandemic lockdown.

On today's episode: * Is the uptick in cases because of people travelling at Easter a few weeks ago? * Should I be worried about the increased number of cases? * Will salt in my homemade salami kill coronavirus? * We can't travel to other states yet. Isn't it a bit early to travel to NZ? * Is it possible Ebola and coronavirus can mutate into a more potent virus? And Norman has some news from a research paper about heart medication, which found it didn't worsen the disease for people who got it or make them more susceptible to it in the first place.

Radio National Fiction's presents Corona Tales — stories of family, friendship and even romance under the cloud of COVID-19. Phil Spencer is an Englishman, and he's never been really comfortable talking about love.

Andy writes: "You asked for suggestions of music to play during the pandemic... How about this one? — the lyrics seem quite relevant." From Andy this is the Specials and Ghost Town.

Have you seen the photos of the Himalayas, with unusually clear blue skies? These have been matched by reports that China's carbon emissions have dropped by a quarter. Some people are speculating that air pollution has dropped in Australia too, because more of us have been staying at home, driving less and staying away from airports. But is that true? And what happens when things swing back into gear?

On today's episode: * When does it turn from a blip in cases into a second wave? * What should I do if someone needs CPR? * Why might SARS-COV-2 turn into a more "gentle" virus? * Is the virus blood type specific? And Norman has a very interesting piece of research from France. The research found a patient who had the SARS-COV-2 virus in December - a month before the country's first reported case. And the patient had no travel history to China.

In his family, Robert Power was about to do what no-one else had ever done...but then everything changed. Robert's decisions tested his faith and the faith of those who loved him.

Andy Orr teaches English as a second language, but in his spare time he heads down to the Sydney Harbour shoreline to collect the plastics that wash up. He finds obvious things like straws, lids, styrofoam and soy sauce fish bottles, but also, plumber's wedges used for grouting, discarded lollipop sticks and cigarette butts.

Gymnasiums, swimming pools, pilates, yoga and dance studios were forced to close during the COVID-19 outbreak. We all had to adapt, with many people choosing other forms of exercise and a huge surge in the number of us doing classes online.

On today's show: * I heard there are two strains. What’s that about? * Is there an accurate antibody test yet? * Would testing for antibodies at the airport mean I could avoid 14-day quarantine if I'd already had COVID-19? * I live in Australia and got sick before Christmas with coronavirus symptoms. Could I have had it? * Can Norman be President of the USA? And Norman's found a study that looked at anti-vaccination views and what that might mean if there's ever a SARS-COV-2 vaccine.

You are chatting with your cousin and she casually mentions an inheritance. You know that on her mother's side there was nothing to inherit. Your paternal grandmother though, died five years ago and you received nothing. Do you dig for answers knowing there's no chance of money, but really just to understand why? Or do you just let sleeping dogs lie?

For our Alone Together segment, Elena wrote to us to say: "Loving Radio National broadcasts and Breakfast, as usual. This song cheered me up after my first major breakup- a great fix for a broken heart. My song choice is Me, Myself, I by Joan Armatrading."

Can these lockdown patterns of urban behaviour change how we shape our cities, one man's mission to de-plastic our sea and sand, how Cape York communities have had zero infection on a shoestring budget, and a landmark Dylan song falls back into relevance.