OUR SAY: Stay vigilant so we can bask in post-lockdown freedoms

Many Border and North East residents took advantage of eased restrictions in both regional NSW and Victoria over the weekend.

Saturday's sunshine in particular encouraged people to get out and about, enjoying those freedoms now allowed.

While not all the rules are equal in each state, at least our region isn't still locked down like Melbourne, western NSW, the south coast and Sydney, where some would know every square inch of their home in unprecedented detail.

But as NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said last week, one COVID-19 case would be one case too many.

The spectre of at least two weeks of stay at home orders hangs over the Riverina and the rest of regional NSW while the Victorian experience also suggests lockdowns can return all too quickly.

IN OTHER NEWS:

We are all officially on notice.

In NSW, if a coronavirus case pops up anywhere that's just come out of lockdown, the local government area is looking at a minimum of 14 days back at home.

On Sunday Murrumbidgee Local Health District confirmed COVID-19 had been detected in sewage at Young and Harden while a Henty service station became an exposure site earlier this month.

After a truck driver who lives in Wodonga tested positive, Victoria's COVID commander Jeroen Weimar thanked him for acting so swiftly to get tested and isolate.

Individual and collective actions through many months of restrictions and lockdowns have helped avoid community transmission in our region.

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Yes, there has been an element of luck in being spared so far in the Delta outbreak - and local leaders have said more than once they still feel it's a case of when, not if, the virus directly affects us again - but residents also stepped up by staying home and following the rules.

And here we are, back enjoying the outdoors with friends and taking a seat at the restaurant or bar.

Let's maintain vigilance while basking in the freedoms we once took for granted, and make the most of our beautiful area as best we can.

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