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I can’t help feeling a little jealous.

After all, the one thing that unites every person in the world right now is that we all want things to go back to the way they were before the pandemic disrupted our lives.

At the same time, New Zealand, which lifted all their lockdown restrictions at midnight last night as their last known case of COVID-19 recovered, with no further cases reported, is a beacon of hope.

They’re also offering a glimpse into what it will be like when we get the news that we can venture outside, hug friends, and eat in a restaurant.

Over to The Guardian:

People in a nation that appears to have vanquished the coronavirus – for the time being – were permitted to hug and kiss strangers, to stand shoulder to shoulder at rock concerts, pray in large groups at mosques and churches, attend rugby games and throw large wedding parties or funerals.

Strict border controls remain, with New Zealanders and their families the only people permitted to enter the country. They must remain in government-run quarantine for 14 days.

Jacinda Ardern celebrated the lifting of restrictions with “a cheeky midnight single malt” and “a little dance”.

You can watch her speech announcing the easing of restrictions below:

She’s earned that whiskey.

Others posted images of fireworks and wished each other a “happy new year.”

While no one was openly hugging in the streets on Tuesday, those walking outdoors were giddy with pleasure at the new status. The daring even pushed pedestrian crosswalk buttons with their hands, rather than the crouched elbow-jab New Zealanders have resorted to during the pandemic.

Bars and nightclubs are readying themselves to resume operations, with physical distancing measures in place.

Kieran O’Malley’s staff at the Fork & Brewer pub had spent the morning dragging furniture from storage ready to boost their capacity to its pre-pandemic 250 people, instead of the 100 the bar was permitted to accommodate during the later stages of Covid-19 restrictions.

“It’s a godsend,” he says, adding that turnover had been “down by half” under the physical distancing rules. The government had made the right decision in shutting the country down, O’Malley says, but it had been tough and his business had needed more support.

“Now we’re back to normal,” he says. “But it’s going to be a while before we build confidence back again.”

Sports fans are also looking forward to the return of rugby.

Watch New Zealanders celebrating with haircuts and other activities:

The work to rebuild the economy will be tough, but if anyone is up to the challenge, it’s Ardern (seriously, that woman is crushing it):

Ardern and her government also face the prospect of rebuilding a nation with an economy that faces a steep recession, an unemployment rate upwards of 8.5%, according to the Treasury, and a critical industry, tourism, that lies in tatters.

It’s important to keep in mind that COVID-19 has a tendency to happen in waves, and could return to New Zealand if hygiene and preventative measures aren’t adhered to.

For the rest of us, Oxford Univesity has announced that they may have cracked the code on a coronavirus vaccine.

Hope on that front, together with the continuance of safe physical distancing and hygiene measures, is perhaps our best bet for now.

[source:guardian]