Greater Bendigo has seen it's second day in a row of recording 131 new cases overnight.

The total number of active cases in the region has increased again to 682.

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Data from the Department of Health has revealed cases since the beginning of the pandemic in Greater Bendigo have hit 12,483.

Elsewhere in the region, Mount Alexander Shire recorded seven new cases, while Macedon Ranges Shire reported 55, and Central Goldfields Shire seven.

Campaspe numbers jumped up 68 cases, Buloke added another three and Loddon Shire recorded six cases.

GREATER Bendigo City Council has backed a recommendation to extend outdoor dining to December 15, 2022 to align with the expiration date of the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission's temporary limited license.

A limited licence allows hospitality businesses to serve alcohol in these same areas.

This comes on the back of the easing of Victoria's COVID-19 restrictions including the easing of masks in most indoor settings and the recommendation to work from home.

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Council also agreed to prepare an outdoor activation strategy advocating to extend state government funds from the COVIDsafe outdoor activation fund to June 30, 2023.

Currently, the COVIDsafe outdoor activation fund was set to expire on July 31 this year. This would mean the reintroduction of local law permit fees - which businesses would have to front.

The recommendation council is supporting suggests postponing this expiration date to the fund until June 30, 2023, allowing Greater Bendigo businesses to get back on their feet.

If approved, the $975,000 funds will cover outdoor dining fees and charges for businesses.

Greater Bendigo mayor Andrea Metcalf said while it was largely a success, the outdoor dining has been fast-tracked to support economic recovery from the pandemic but in order for it to continue long term planning was needed.

"The result has also led to greater activation and vibrancy in outdoor public spaces and our community has been very supportive of our hospitality businesses during this time," she said.

"The extension of outdoor dining will allow businesses to continue to benefit from the visitation that will be generated by the Elvis: Direct from Graceland exhibition, the 150^th Bendigo Easter Fair and the broader return of events to our city and region."

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The outdoor activation strategy will carefully make use of public space and ensure the city can fairly support all businesses to occupy these areas.

It will also consider opportunities for outdoor dining outside of the city and even at different times of the year, giving businesses more flexibility and choice.

"Council acknowledges there will be mixed views around the possible re-introduction of outdoor dining permit fees, if the COVIDSafe Outdoor Activation Fund is not able to be extended," the mayor said.

"Whenever something is stopped, it can be hard to start again. Waiving these fees was designed to support hospitality businesses through the critical parts of the pandemic and they have been waived for the past two financial years."

The plan will also allow council the opportunity to review local law fees and determine what a modern and appropriate fee structure is for businesses in the Greater Bendigo region. To do this as effectively as possible council has called for businesses to get involved in this work.

Victoria has recorded another 6879 new cases of COVID-19 overnight, taking the state's total active cases to 40,822.

It comes as Greater Bendigo saw another spike with 131 new cases on Monday.

The new cases recorded were made up of 5380 rapid-antigen tests and 1499 positive PCR test results.

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More than 5000 people were vaccinated at state sites yesterday.

This brings the total number of eligible Victorians over the age of 18 to receive their booster to 59 per cent.

Ninety-four per cent of eligible Victorians are double vaccinated.

Another 18 people died with the virus. There were 255 people were in hospital, with 41 in ICU and 5 on a ventilator.

Central Victorians are being urged to protect themselves against mosquito bites following possible cases of Japanese encephalitis virus.

Evidence of the virus has been found in pigs in Echuca, as well as in New South Wales including near the border, and in southern Queensland.

Although there are no confirmed human cases of the JEV strain in Victoria, there were several cases of encephalitis identified within the past month.

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JEV is a mosquito-borne virus that can develop into encephalitis, which can be potentially life-threatening.

Chief health officer Brett Sutton said the disease can be very serious and even life-threatening in some cases.

"Most people with JEV will have no or very mild symptoms, but anyone who develops a sudden onset of fever, headache and vomiting should see their doctor immediately," he said.

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An armed gunman blasted his way into a house at Strathfieldsaye and terrorised a young woman, after becoming impatient to settle a financial deal over a second-hand car.

The Bendigo County Court heard on Monday the home invasion on June 23, 2020, had been motivated by a debt of a couple of hundred dollars, which was the final amount owing on a car payment.

The gunman was accompanied by a woman who was arrested the following day. She pleaded guilty on Monday to taking part in the attack.

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Jessica Ann Parker, 22, admitted to the court that she had gone along with the robbery and, while inside the house, encouraged the gunman to hit the victim's face and shoot her foot.

Parker, formerly of Eaglehawk, pleaded guilty to two charges, including common assault, and is expected to be sentenced on Tuesday.

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