The answer is too many to count, but the seriousness of the COVID-19 fight suddenly became real again in Victoria, particularly for the 36 suburbs in Melbourne which returned to stage three lockdowns from midnight.

Fortunately for places like Wodonga, Wangaratta, Yarrawonga and Benalla and everywhere in between in North-East Victoria those same rules won't apply and hospitality sector businesses which were either forced to shut or be reduced to take-away options only can keep going on the comeback path.

In the last 48 hours, the South Australian, Queensland and NSW governments have all made announcements relating to their borders which have given Victorians the cold shoulder.

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Yesterday, NSW health minister Brad Hazzard made the dramatic move with threats of hefty fines and jail terms for his own residents found in one of the Melbourne hotspots with the same rules applying for hotspot residents busted stepping foot into NSW.

Thankfully Mr Hazzard didn't take the further step of shutting the border and creating a wave of serious unintended consequences for the communities such as Albury-Wodonga, Corowa-Wahgunyah and Yarrawonga-Mulwala.

But those states also need to realise there is a big distinction between parts of Melbourne and the rest of the state, including ours, which have largely been virus-free for months.

Residents in those area would also like to book a holiday in Queensland and boost that states economy if they can by taking a breather from what has been a rugged 2020 which for some started with bushfires and rolled into coronavirus.

What the suburb-specific response to COVID-19 has done is put firmly in the spotlight of easing restrictions even further in virus-free Victorian regional areas following the school holidays.