A BUSINESS leader has urged Bendigo residents not to let their guard down in the wake of news large tracts of Melbourne will lock back down from midnight on Wednesday.
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Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Tuesday afternoon that 10 "hot spot" postcodes would re-enter stage three restrictions until at least July 29.
Those postcodes are: 3038, 3064, 3047, 3060, 3012, 3032, 3055, 3042, 3021, 3046.
People in those postcodes will only be able to leave their homes for four reasons: for care or caregiving; to exercise; to buy food and other essential items; or to go to work or school.
Be.Bendigo chief executive Dennis Bice said doing the right thing took on added significance in the immediate wake of the announcement.
"My initial thoughts about that list of postcodes are very much around giving that support wherever it is required to get on top of this, even if it means lockdowns in those areas," he said.
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Many Bendigo businesses are still emerging from their own shutdowns and Mr Bice said the new restrictions underscored the economic risks of people dropping their guard in the region.
"No business wants to go backwards but we all have a responsibility to do the right thing and support local businesses," he said.
There is just one active case recorded in the Bendigo area right now, even after 14 consecutive days of rising diagnoses statewide.
It is too early to tell if any Bendigo businesses would be affected by the lockdowns in Melbourne, though under stage three restrictions people will be able to travel in and out for work.
Retail and accommodation companies were among those hit the hardest across Bendigo, Mr Bice said.
He had been told some accommodation businesses had their best weekend for bookings in a while, though they were not back to normal operations.
Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton told reporters this afternoon that people should not feel disheartened and give up social distancing if they are in the hotspots.
"We owe it to everyone in Victoria not to have this spill across all suburbs, not to spill into a rural and regional Victoria that has no community transmission (and) that is almost universally free of active cases," he said.
During his press conference on Tuesday, Mr Andrews also said flights into Victoria would be diverted to other states for the next two weeks.
An inquiry into Victoria's hotel quarantine process will also take place.
Mr Andrews ordered the establishment of an inquiry, led by a former judge, into its operation after genomic testing showed a number of the state's cases through late May and early June could be linked to an infection control breach in the program.
"Clearly there has been a failure in the operation of this program," Mr Andrews said.
"The whole way through this, I've been upfront with the people of Victoria. And to say I'm disappointed about what's happened would be an understatement."