That point was made loud and clear by the chief medical officer, Dr Brendan Murphy, when he said on Monday restrictions would need to be kept in place until "either a vaccine or an effective treatment" is found.

While it has been good to see the easing of restrictions in the ACT and elsewhere, people have been warned repeatedly that fresh outbreaks, a failure to observe social distancing, or both, would lead to the reintroduction of tougher measures.

That has now happened in Victoria. There is no guarantee, particularly given the way Canberrans flocked to shopping centres, and other popular spots, over the weekend, it won't happen here.

One of the steps urged by the Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, is for people to continue working from home if they are able to do so. Working from home has been one of the great success stories of the coronavirus in Australia to date. It has played crucial roles in both containing the spread of infections and minimising the impact on the economy.

Hundreds of thousands more Australians would be in a very bad place if recently developed technology and the adoption of more flexible working arrangements had not made it possible to do their jobs from improvised workspaces in spare bedrooms, and, in many cases, the kitchen table.

The Australian Public Service has led the way. A survey in April found up to 57 per cent of the workforce was engaged remotely. And, even though restrictions had eased significantly, this still stood at 51 per cent as recently as June 9.

While, given the way the technology has been evolving, it was inevitable more and more people would work from home as time went on, COVID-19 has shaved years off the transition. The ability of the much maligned NBN-network to meet the extra demand has been so quietly impressive as to pass almost unremarked.

Arguably the greatest barrier, the reluctance of supervisors to allow their staff to escape their steely gaze, has disappeared overnight. The vast majority of people have shown they will do as much, if not more, without direct supervision and micromanagement than if they were in the office.

"If bosses trust them to work from home, the individuals in most cases more than repay that trust," workplace expert Professor Greg Bamberger said. "We're going to see much more working from home in the future."

Real concerns are team building and employee welfare. A job is much more than doing tasks and taking money. It is also a social activity which involves being in a team and which contributes to a sense of belonging and self-esteem. Models which incorporate some time at the office and some time at home appear to be the most likely to succeed in the longer term.

If employers and employees can strike a mutually agreeable balance it is a win-win for both, and for the nation, and for the planet.

If, in the post-COVID-19 period, significantly fewer Australians commute to the office each day then less office space will be required and congestion on roads and public transport networks may ease.

Emissions could be reduced and the planet would be better off. If it comes to pass, this would be a silver lining from an event that has had profound and damaging impacts on societies all over the world; an event that is far from over.