Weeks upon weeks of double checking COVID-19 updates and listening to far too many political press conferences from Premiers and Prime Ministers have finally begun to subside.

Those daily updates replaced now with the opportunity for people around the state to leave their homes and visit the region.

Orange has been inundated over the long weekend, accommodation full, cellar doors bustling and eateries opening back up, the Orange economy has a small sparkle in its eye again, trying to pierce through drought, fires and what was incredibly awful start to 2020.

The immediate future looks bright, as I look down the restaurant's booking schedule, but while there is a sudden chest puffing air of confidence there is also an underlying feeling of fear and doubt.

I am sceptical of current Liberal leadership, but to be fair the JobKeeper was a saving grace for the hospitality industry, an industry already walking an awfully thin tightrope, balancing between small successes and utter financial ruin.

It's now time to knuckle down, slightly reinvent ourselves, before the JobKeeper and other financial benefits evaporate before our eyes and we are brought back to square one.

On our road to recovery there are a few things that customers visiting can do to help their favourite venues remain diligent.

We do not need a second wave; we do not need venues to break the rules in a scrape for cash.

Venues in Orange are busy again, restaurants and cellar doors and getting that much needed visitation, but they need to be able to plan.

They need to control numbers and be compliant, so merely turning up and expecting to walk in for a table or tasting simply may not happen.

Plan your day, plan your trip to avoid being told sorry no we can't fit you in.

Just because they aren't over 18 years of age and 'can't taste wine anyway', doesn't mean they don't count to a venue's total amount of people.

Children are people as well and if you are travelling with them please include them in your booking number.

Please use the hand santisers on entry or provided throughout the venue.

Using the line of 'I did that at the supermarket earlier', is irrelevant and doesn't cut it.

Be responsible and courteous of others.

Pubs and some restaurants are forced to get details of people entering their premise.

This is not a ploy to sign you up for an irritating mailing list or time share. Nor is it a ploy to learn your movements for sinister government control, it is one of the quickest ways to contact anyone who may have come into contact with the virus, that is all.

Surprisingly however I have been stunned with how responsible most visitors are.

People don't need to be told; they just do.

People are happy to be out travelling, breaking cabin fever and the last thing they need is for that to be taken away from them.