Echuca Moama and District Tourism chief executive Kathryn Mackenzie is hoping to see an increase in demand for tourism operators on the NSW side of the border town.

She said the border closure meant businesses on the NSW side of the Murray River lost 18 days of the prime school holiday period.

"Hopefully there will be a pent-up demand," she said. "We hope to get another couple weeks (of visitors) before kids go back to school.

"Anyone who held an Australia Day booking, I hope they haven't pulled out in last week. We just want to see everyone support these operators who have done it so hard."

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Ms Mackenzie said some businesses have only been able to traded 14 out of 52 weeks last year.

"It's compounded by the third border closure we have experienced here," she said. "The hard part is, we have good businesses here.

"They're robust businesses but nobody can sustain losses these businesses have had to bear in last 12 months.

"Operating in the COVID climate is so tough to begin with (but) with the border lockdown, people just chose not to come. It has really impacted on Echuca to some extent."

Between April, 2019, and March, 2020, about $482 million was spent on tourism in Echuca-Moama. Ms Mackenzie said it worked out to be about $1.3 million per day.

After a year where businesses weren't able to operate, Ms Mackenzie said she hoped 2021 would provide some financial relief.

"The hard thing was operators were beleiving that January was looking so good," she said. "There was a lot of optimism. That quickly diffused once the border closure went in. This is the time where operaters try to get (a financial) buffer for the quieter times."

February events the Riverboats Festival and the Southern 80 have both been cancelled. Ms Mackenzie said Echuca Moama and District Tourism is working to maximise visittaion to the area in spite of that.

"Hopefully we can attract another audience," she said. "Traditionally, parents dont want disprupt the school year but we want to attract visitors (who travel) when everyone goes back to school.

"We are still waiting for confirmation on some of the detail around what border permits look like. Once we firm that up, we will get information out."

Update, 10.25am

New South Wales local government areas that run along Victorian border will be downgraded from orange to green zones from 6pm tonight.

The status change means people travelling back from those NSW areas will not need to isolate or receive a negative test on returning to Victoria. They will still need a permit to travel from NSW to Victoria.

It was announced by Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and chief health officer Brett Sutton during their daily briefing this morning.

Mr Andrews also announced that, from 6pm tonight, 25 of the 35 red zones in Sydney will be downgraded to orange.

Bankstown, Canada Bay, Burwood, Canterbury Bankstown, Cumberland, Inner West, Liverpool, Fairfield, Parramatta and Strathfield areas remain listed as red zones meaning people are still not eligible to return.

The Blue Mountains and Wollongong will be downgraded to orange from 6pm tonight.

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"In regards to the situation on the Victorian-NSW border, it is clearly a good epidemiological situation," Mr Sutton said. "I hope the green zone designation means people will feel confident to go to those regions.

"In respect to the pre-existing red zone NSW, all but 10 local government areas go to orange with the remaining local government areas where exposure sites and remaining cases are and where the transmission is."

Mr Andrews confirmed the four new cases in hotel quarantine are connected to Australian Open players and their teams.

He said it was the 12th day with no new local transmission cases in Victoria.

"That is a great credit to our public health teams and every Victorian still taking this virus and challenge seriously," he said. "This it the way it has to be until we get through the process of getting everyone the vaccine.

"All in all it is a very good day when you look at 50 per cent office workers in the private sector, and 25 per cent in the public sector, going back today, reverting to the mask rules we had before Christmas, no local cases and everything working as it should."

Earlier

There have been no new cases of locally-transmitted coronavirus in Victoria over the past 24 hours.

But Victoria has seen four new COVID-19 cases from overseas passengers in hotel quarantine.

The latest Department of Health and Human Services numbers come after 13,973 Victorians received a tested result yesterday.

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The new numbers come as Victoria returns to the mask advisory rules it had in place before Christmas.

Victorians are required to keep a face mask on them when leaving home, but they no longer have to wear them in all indoor settings.

Masks are mandatory when: using public transport; using ride share services and taxis; inside shopping centres and retail stores; in indoor markets; on domestic flights; at airports; and in hospitals.

The rules changed at 11.59pm last night.

From today, private sector offices will also be able to have 50 per cent of their staff working from the office.

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