SELF-ISOLATING and working from home has meant a drop in the number of people using Victoria's public transport network.
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The Department of Transport has urged public transport users to abide by social distancing measures and stay home if they were unwell.
Asked whether V/Line was preparing for possible service closures, a department spokesperson said public transport was an essential service and was still available for passengers that needed to travel.
However, people were being asked to consider staggering their travel times, to reduce the number of people using the network at any one time.
The request is understood to have been based on Department of Health and Human Services advice.
The Department of Transport is believed to be working with the Department of Health and Human Services, other health agencies and transport operators to prepare for the potential effects of the virus.
Public transport operators are understood to have increased cleaning measures, including sanitising and disinfecting touch points more often.
Some Victorian bus operators are believed to have introduced 1.5-metre exclusion areas around the driver's seat.
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