And our emergence from lockdown is certainly no "Freedom Day".

A few more people allowed in the house, a few more shops opening, some businesses taking on limited customers. Modest outdoor gatherings. Masks still mandatory, and travel beyond our borders still a no-no.

But look closer - these small lifts in COVID restrictions contain multitudes for many around the territory, and, like the first birds and leaves of spring, the good vibes are palpable.

A lifting of two to five people, especially as it now doesn't involve children, means we can now have family get-togethers inside. Outside, we can now have meaningful gatherings of up to 25 people.

Those lucky enough to score a booking can get haircuts and eat a meal in a restaurant. There's less panic and stress around group numbers and children, or outdoor time limits.

And, most importantly, there is finally, in actuality instead of theory, light at the end of the tunnel.

This last lockdown hasn't been easy for many of us.

Although we had every reason to expect we would eventually have to deal with COVID in the territory, when it happened, lockdown was swift and merciless, and far harsher than the last one in March 2020.

MORE COVID-19 NEWS:

It has been longer, stricter and more fraught with fear - actual, concrete fear of catching the virus, and of infecting others.

It came at the end of a long and fraught 18 months for Australia and for the world.

We may have been safe in our island fortress, but many businesses have suffered and families have remained separated.

And, like the last kilometre in a marathon, this final leg of our pandemic journey - as we hope fervently this will be our last lockdown - has been in many ways the most difficult.

We have seen the ravages of the virus in less fortunate countries, as well as up close in Australian hospitals dealing with the Delta surge.

It seems impossible to remember a time when COVID-19 was an abstract, distant threat - an exotic virus in a distant land.

Now, it is a constant presence, having transformed our everyday lives, and our view of ourselves as a people and nation.

But with the lifting of some restrictions in Canberra on Friday, the door to the future is finally opening, and we can start to look out at what the other side might feel like in the most concrete sense.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr has already encouraged Canberrans to begin planning for Christmas at the beach - music to the ears for many of us.

But the immediate future - the final school term and the weeks leading into summer - are looking bright, finally, as we ease into a future COVID-normal.

These first, tentative steps out of lockdown are those of a prudent territory anxious not to repeat the mistakes of other communities - both here and overseas - in opening up to early or too quickly.

We may be one of the most highly-vaccinated cities in the world, but with this status comes the responsibility not to squander our good work.

While the territory may never be COVID-free again, there will still be a need for vigilance as we move out of lockdown.

But in the meantime, as our horizons start to fill up with the hopes and plans of normal life, we can start to hope for a Christmas we can truly look forward to.

Yes, the steps are small, but they're leading us into a brighter future.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: