From the moment the states began locking down cities and regional areas and closing borders there has been a constant debate about the recovery stage.

Certainly, as 2021 got under way there was an upsurge in optimism about what lay ahead.

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Victoria, the state hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, had finally returned to relative normality and vaccines had been developed. The latter was an amazing achievement.

But a number of factors have combined to produce a considerable reality check.

Firstly, we're simply not getting vaccinated as quickly as was initially hoped and expected.

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The roll-out, of course, has been greatly complicated by blood clotting issues in the AstraZeneca vaccine - albeit, in a tiny percentage of recipients - that meant this would no longer be offered to those under 50.

Adding to that has been the emergence of COVID-19 variants with a greater propensity to spread.

And now there are reports that even with wholescale vaccination achieved, at around 70 per cent - which is considered a tipping point into herd immunity - thousands of those unvaccinated could still die if a spreading event occurred.

This all makes it clear we have a long way to go on this COVID journey.

But that doesn't mean we cannot get on with things as best we can, lest we dose-up the medical toll with a debilitating socio-economic toll.

It's this juggling act, one where no one really knows the rules, that is being tackled throughout our Border region.

It's why those North East communities reliant on the tourism dollar, on a ski season getting under way and being able to cater for cycling tours, for example, are having to just get on with it as best they can.

And that's why government, as much as it has to make sure the pandemic doesn't get out of control, must be mindful of making decisions that don't stop this taking place.

If not, some will be left with little on which to build a post-pandemic future.

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