Kristin Macfarlane: Economy, freedom - and trust come with alert level 2

Bubbles can expand and restaurants and bars can open under Covid-19 alert Level 2. Photo / Getty Images

After more than six weeks of keeping to our bubbles and staying home as much as possible we look set to be given quite a lot of freedom in the very near future.

That freedom comes in the form of the Covid-19 alert level 2, or what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern referred to as "our safer normal" when she revealed the rules of the move yesterday. Since New Zealand moved into lockdown on March 26 we've made major progress in our fight against the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. As of yesterday afternoon 136 of our 1489 confirmed and probable cases of Covid-19 were active, 1332 had recovered and 21 people died.

We've managed to make good headwind against Covid-19 because we have, for the most part, followed the rules. But to get beyond the "safer normal", it's vital we remain vigilant as the purse strings to our priceless freedom loosen.

Under level 2, retail outlets - including malls, barbers and hairdressers, beauty salons, bars and cafes can open, we can expand our bubbles to include friends and family and travel "safely" around the country. Public parks and recreational sports facilities will be open again, and professional sport can resume again without the crowds because mass gatherings are limited to 100 people.

This will be exciting news for many eager to escape the confinements of their home for a taste of normality once again, also adding a much-needed boost to a struggling economy.

While there will be strict rules to follow, and any business found to be flouting them have been warned they'll be shut down, everyone has a responsibility to do their part.

For us to return to normal life, whatever that looks like post Covid-19, we need to be smart now.

The last thing we want is to waste all of the time, effort and good work our country has made in our fight against Covid-19. We don't want to go backwards and the way we avoid that is by following the rules - keep your two-metre distance to strangers and know who you're surrounding yourself with.

We've done so well living in slow motion in recent weeks, we don't need to rush this process.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website