As has been said countless times, the COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to our governments.

The only comparisons that can be made are to the 1918 flu epidemic, generally referred to as the Spanish flu, which, it is thought, infected about a third of the world's then population.

Blockades and travel restrictions were imposed, as they have been now, but it was a very different time.

We are much more mobile than we were 100 years ago, and staying home is more of a culture shock.

We also expect information to be at our fingertips; for all the answers to any questions we may have about the "rules" to be only a web search away.

In face many of us who seek clarity over the rules have spent hours trying to sort our the rules from the recommended precautions.

The overwhelming majority of us would be onboard with the idea of adhering to the advice of our public health experts.

We want to overcome this virus to protect lives, those of our loved ones and those of strangers, and to return to some sense of normalcy.

Our leaders have certainly given that impression that we're on the right track and have gone to lengths to praise the majority for doing the right thing.

Yet there seems to be a growing frustration with a lack of clarity around what it is we're allowed to do and what we're not allowed to do.

Ideally, the staged approach to lifting restrictions would be exhaustive in its detail, but there have been unanswered questions.

Further, there are some oddities and a perceived lack of consistency in the rules that are causing frustration.

The other factor at play is that federal and state governments seem to be differing more and more in their thinking and messaging.

In fact each state's premier has gone to lengths to explain why each one has differing regulations about a range of things including when students should return to school.

This is a very difficult situation for governments; they are basically making up the rules as they go along.

But they do need to work harder at ensuring we're all still on the same page.

Do you have something to say? We welcome your letters which may run in print and online.