The America's Cup defenders are doing all they can to stay clear of the coronarivus.

Team New Zealand are the hardest hit of the four operating America's Cup syndicates as coronavirus lockdowns around the world hit their build and test programmes.

New Zealand's maximum level four status sees the defenders lose five invaluable weeks on the build of their second generation AC75 that will be used in the America's Cup match next March in Auckland.

The strict guidelines have prevented the boatbuilders working and the ban on outdoor activities has seen the crew landlocked.

EMIRATES TEAM NZ Team New Zealand are eager to see Te Aihe back in New Zealand as soon as possible.

Rivals INEOS Team UK, American Magic and Luna Rossa have all managed to keep the build of their second boats going in some form.

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A return to level three next week will allow construction work on the Team New Zealand boat to resume and hopefully their sailors will be allowed to get back in their small scale test boat to continue their development programme.

The precarious state of the Team New Zealand build has been exposed by the sentiments of British challenger INEOIS Team UK.

None Team New Zealand's base on Auckland's waterfront has been quiet for the last four weeks.

Their boat builder Jason Carrington revealed in an interview with French outfit Tip & Shaft that they had pushed hard over the past fortnight.

"The danger for us is if we were forced to stop. If we did stop for a certain amount of time, quite quickly it becomes just not feasible to even get the boat done in time, so we are pretty aware of that. At the moment we're on track," Carrington said.

EMIRATES TEAM NZ Get a feel for the speed and power of Te Aihe as the America's Cup defenders train in Auckland.

He said they had been working double shifts on a 6.30am to 3am schedule that had allowed them to keep up after they had already worked "a night shift from the start of the project so we have managed to get a big chunk ahead of where we thought we would be. We have obviously eaten into that a bit, but we are still okay".

American Magic appear to have gained some relief from authorities in Rhode Island to keep their build rolling while they also have work going on at their Florida training base though they haven't been sailing.

"We're fortunate that we are still building," American Magic boss Terry Hutchinson told Gary Jobson in a US Sailing podcast.

"We're in a tricky spot as all the teams are, based on what happens with production. We continue to thank the Governor of Rhode Island, Gina Raimondo - she has done an incredible job of navigating through a difficult time, and the Rhode Island Marine Trade Association, have helped us immensely in navigating through something that is incredibly difficult for everybody. We have to thank her for the great job she is doing."

"While we are working in a reduced capacity [in Florida], the team up in Newport are still going along. The idea is to have the boat out of the shed in late summer, and she'll go straight to New Zealand

"Getting the boat to New Zealand is going to be tight, as it is."

Hutchinson summed up the time factor that is the most valuable commodity in the America's Cup buildup.

"It's nervous times because it is not weeks, it's days - that tilt the timetable of development. We're running a pretty tight schedule in that regard. We'll have to fly the boat to New Zealand."

Italian skipper Max Sirena indicated that amongst the lockdown in Europe's epicenter of the pandemic, they had still managed to keep some work going at their base in Sardinia while the build of their second boat had continued in Bergamo.

The teams are due to race a world series regatta in Auckland in December that will be the only time the boats line out against each other ahead of the Prada Cup challenger series and, eventually the America's Cup match.

Emirates Team New Zealand's other issue is their first boat Te Aihe is still being transported back to New Zealand from Europe where it was immediately turned around once the world series regattas in Italy and England were cancelled.

Team New Zealand have a little more time to work with in terms of their build because they won't need to race that second boat until the Cup match in March whereas the challengers are in serious racing from January.

But Team New Zealand are able to run a two-boat programme while the challengers are racing and the need to get their second boat primed for the defence is they key.

But first, it has to be built.