Big milestone on tough road

So can you feel those squirts of serotonin? This feelgood chemical can be produced by, among other things, a feeling of authentic pride and was referenced by clinical psychologist Jacqui Maguire, nicely anticipating the tenor of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement that we have earned, at last, the liberation of level 1.

That chemical was perhaps detectable in Ardern herself, who tells us she ‘‘did a little dance’’ on learning we now have no active cases of Covid19. And serotonin, says Maguire, in turn increases motivation for the likes of bonding and social support, themes which also emerged from the PM’s announcement.

By any measure, level 1 is a status containing blessed reliefs, including the ability to come together again in significant numbers for community sport, public performances, concerts, bars and nightclubs, and to welcome our over-70s more heartily back into the mobile mix.

It also mutes the nagging, yet justifiable, ‘‘Are we there yet?’’ refrain ringing in the Government’s ears from its coalition partner, the Opposition, business community and an increasingly wriggly public.

Anticipating the challenge that level 1 could have arrived earlier, director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield was nothing if not emphatic: ‘‘We have come down faster and sooner and in a stronger position than any other country.’’

The rest of the world hardly disputes this. The situation in which we now find ourselves is one that has gained reactions from admiration to open envy.

For our part we must continue to regard the rest of the world with baleful mistrust, hopeful perhaps of being able to include Australia initially, and perhaps Pacific Islands, in a travel bubble in the foreseeable future, but requiring stringent and likely longstanding border protection measures otherwise.

Not everyone is feeling the undiluted serotonin buzz. Remaining anxieties are far from fanciful, not the least of them the prospect of business failures and rising levels of unemployment, especially once the wage subsidy ends.

The Government’s position is that we have a head start to get New Zealand moving again. Quite so, but the path ahead is steeply uphill, for ourselves and the countries on whom we rely heavily for trade.

To get the local economy swinging the Government is trying to invoke the sort of confidence necessary for revitalised social and business activity with maintained health cautions, albeit generally requiring diligence rather than restraint. So the message is go wherever you like, just keep a record.

This particularly relates to improved use of QR codes through the official tracer app, now manual sign-ins are no longer required. All of which is a strangeness to those, often elderly, for whom smartphones and apps are otherworldly devices.

When Ardern declared ‘‘We are ready’’, it was a message the greater part of the country was aching to hear and for the most part eager to accept. It was also a message to be received in context. Ready for what?

Essentially, a future beset by challenges, hardships and demands that will sorely test our collective and individual mettle. And if a little serotonin helps us on the way, we’ll take it.

The situation in which we now find ourselves is one that has gained reactions from admiration to open envy. For our part we must continue to regard the rest of the world with baleful mistrust ...