THE Victorian government and the state's chief health officer are considering easing restrictions in regional centres without active COVID-19 cases.
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But such measures could be a while off, with Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton keen to "keep the brakes on at the moment".
The state's COVID-19 cases continue to rise, with an additional 16 cases confirmed overnight.
Data for central Victorian local government areas was unchanged, with one active case in Campaspe and a total of 34 cases recorded throughout the region since the outbreak of COVID-19.
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Speaking to the media today, Professor Sutton said people could go to the regions during the upcoming school holidays.
"We are very clear on the fact people who are unwell shouldn't be anywhere other than going to a testing site, getting a result and staying home until they've gotten that result," Professor Sutton said.
"But yes, people can travel. They should really consider about how they mix in those spaces.
"They should follow all of the advice we have around keeping that 1.5 metre distance, not going into crowded spaces, and certainly not going out when unwell."
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Asked whether he would be happy if restrictions were eased in regional communities with no active cases, such as Bendigo, Professor Sutton said: "It's a consideration down the track."
"Not for school holidays... I think we need to keep the brakes on at the moment," he said.
"That's been the decision in the directions that were issued yesterday for today."
Premier Daniel Andrews said on Saturday the government was considering reopening communities in parts of the state with no active cases and no community transmissions with a "different set of rules".
"We may well seek to open those communities up a little faster than would otherwise have been the case," Mr Andrews said.
He said the government needed a little more time to see more data come through.
"In particular, in relation to regional Victoria potentially having a different set of rules in a more positive sense, we of course have the school holidays coming up and there will be a lot of movement around our state," Mr Andrews said.
Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh was today critical of the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, blaming "city-centric shutdowns" for costing regional Victoria jobs.
He said many regional Victorian towns had never recorded a positive case of COVID-19 but were being "dragged back" because of outbreaks in Melbourne.
"Daniel Andrews's blanket ban on all Victorians going back to the workplace unfairly disadvantages regional communities, particularly those that have never recorded a positive case of COVID-19," he said.
He also referenced decisions to postpone plans to further ease restrictions.
"Our local restaurants, cafes, hotels and bars have hired and rostered extra staff, stocked the fridges and worked hard to make sure they are compliant with Victoria's COVID-19 public health guidelines," Mr Walsh said.
"But Daniel Andrews is constantly shifting the goal posts and it's costing local jobs."
Bendigo mayor Margaret O'Rourke said she had been involved in advocating for restrictions to be eased in rural and regional Victoria, in her capacity as chair of Regional Cities Victoria.
Cr O'Rourke said she had conversations with "various ministers and advisors as recently as last week" about possible considerations for communities with low to no cases or transmission.
"We will continue to have conversations into government and monitor the numbers closely in rural and regional Victoria and hopefully we might be able to see some easing," she said.
There were some elements Cr O'Rourke said could be easier to manage to return to work in a rural or regional setting than a metropolitan setting, such as the commute to and from work.
But she appreciated the fine line between public health and opening up economic drivers - factors it was up to the Chief Health Officer to weigh up.
"It's not up to us to make those decisions," Cr O'Rourke said.
She said regional cities would be eager to learn more about the potential for restrictions to be relaxed.