The number of cases across the Bendigo region remains low, and reflects the manner in which the vast majority of residents have heeded the call to stay at home and to follow the advice of health professionals.

The curve that threatened to rise as exponentially is it would have tragically, has been tamed - for now, and has definitely flattened out - for now.

It seems our region survived the Easter long weekend without the majority giving in to temptation or selfishness and breaking the rules about lockdown and social distancing.

The level of cooperation among our state and federal leaders throughout this crisis has been as welcome as it has been necessary, and it's something most of us would like to see more of in the future.

Taking the politics out of decisions about projects and issues that are in the national interest could be a good thin, and there will be a lot more of this needed when the time comes to pull ourselves out of the pandemic inspired economic hardship.

But as the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to flatten out, the temptation to ease back on restrictions will only grow.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has extended the state of emergency in this state for another month, even with the benefit of knowing that things appear to have settled.

That he chose to do so would seem to suggest we are going to take our time in managing the eventual easing of restrictions.

The safety and health of Victorians will not be put at risk by any decision that doesn't have these two factors as the highest priorities.

Our nation has so far been spared much of this pandemic's worst.

More people have died from the virus in Italy, Spain, the UK or America on any day in the past few weeks than in the past three months here in Australia.

That's a statistic we all need to acknowledge and understand.

These hard-fought and lifesaving gains risk being lost if we fail to do so.