Anxiety and nervousness from early childhood centres as the country moves to alert level three tomorrow.

Australian researchers have studied New South Wales schools and childcare centres - and found children are unlikely to spread Covid-19 to their school mates, or to adults.

However, Early Childhood Council CEO Peter Reynolds told Tim Dower there is a risk of carrier transmission in children.

"A young child can contract the virus, they can transmit it to others. They don't have to be showing any symptoms at all. We know that about Covid-19, it is one of the more frightening aspects of the virus."

He says that there are doubts that these centres should re-open tomorrow. 

"We know that we've got hundreds of thousands of people returning to work tomorrow, and that's great, but is it the right time to be re-opening a childcare centre when we know that things like social distancing simply don't work?"