Hazzard's move comes nearly 12 months to the date since the Central West recorded its first COVID-19 cases. Three positive tests were confirmed in Orange on March 10, marking the first cases in the Western Local Health District.

Declaring daily coronavirus cases a thing of the past, just a few months ago, seemed near unfathomable.

But like the virus' arrival on our shores, its departure has seemingly been rapid - we've just clocked 49 straight days in NSW without any community transmission of COVID-19.

There's, of course, no room for complacency though - the fact the smoke and dust we chocked on daily during the 2019-2020 summer seems near a lifetime ago is testament to the battle we went through last year.

COVID-19 lockdown was not without economic peril, the full depth of which is likely to become clear later this month when the false floor of JobKeeper is withdrawn.

But given Australia is now in such an enviable position that Italy has refused to ship vaccines here, it was an aggressive treatment that has at the very least achieved the intended result.

Our region can count itself lucky, particularly given the extent of restrictions Victoria found itself enforcing when a second wave began.

It has not occurred without everyday effort. QR codes and sanitiser are now accepted parts of life.

Schools across NSW that became video conferences and scattered for at-home learning will on Monday resume singing, dancing and welcome parents back onto campuses. Dance floors are similarly returning to weddings.

Vigilance remains a watchword, but the uncertainty that made so much of 2020 so frightening seems to be fading into a memory.

Globally, the virus remains a threat and will likely continue to have ramifications for economies that depend upon visitors and tourist confidence.

What aspects of our changed state of living we retain is an open question.

If we are lucky, the next phase of the new normal may involve reacquainting ourselves with much of what we once took for granted.

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