Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has provided a glimmer of hope to regional communities such as COVID-free North-East Victoria by declaring the target to move out of tough stage three restrictions is tantalisingly close.
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Late on Tuesday the benchmark crucial to restrictions lifting dipped under the government target to 4.9 with 82 active cases.
Twenty-four hours earlier the 14-day average was 5.3.
The second benchmark to meet is no mystery cases in regional Victoria.
There are presently 10 cases with an unknown source in country areas with renewed heat on the government's contact tracing capabilities.
"It is important to stay the course and we are very confident we will reach our target, in terms of the 14-day average," he said.
"As soon as we can have those very substantial changes, not one step, but in fact two steps along that road map to COVID normal applying across regional Victoria that is exactly what we will do.
"That, I don't think is too far away."
In early August there was 518 new daily cases in regional Victoria.
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On September 1 there were 139 active cases in regional Victoria including 50 in Greater Geelong, but a fortnight earlier in mid-August there were more than 1000 active cases, according to Department of Health and Human Services daily data records.
But Victorian rural MPs including member for Benambra Bill Tilley remain cautious about the Premier's optimism based on his road map targets to hit the "last step" for regional Victoria including there being no new cases for 14 days across the entire state.
"Restaurants dine-in, community sport, beauty services, church services and many other longed-for activities only re-open under the 'last step'," Mr Tilley said.
He said getting to the 'third step' was reliant on a one size, fits all measurement for regional Victoria.
"Corryong is treated the same as Geelong and Barnawartha lumped with Bendigo," he said.
"The Premier's plan does not take into account the vast distances between communities, or the difference between metropolitan Melbourne and regional communities."
There are 34 local government areas in the state which already meet the government's measure of not recording any new coronavirus cases in the past 14 days.
They include Wodonga, Towong, Indigo, Alpine, Wangaratta, Moira and Benalla.
"Many like ours have been COVID free for this entire period, the only glitch are failures in reporting that said we had a case but the person no longer lives here," Mr Tilley said.
"I have called for an approach that enables COVID-free country areas to move to the 'last step' by region.
"If we have to wait for Melbourne to get to 14 days without a new case, we'll never have restrictions lifted."
But Victorian Regional Development Minister Jaclyn Symes played down the likelihood of a region by region path out of restrictions.
"We need to take a cautious approach to protect the low numbers we've achieved," she said.
"Creating artificial borders within Victoria, such as between Wodonga and Shepparton would cause greater frustrations for many country communities."
Meanwhile, Alpine mayor Peter Roper is also still fighting for Mount Beauty, Tawonga and Bright to be added to the border region zone after being overlooked last week.
"It's ludicrous. If the Mitta Valley can be in why can't the Kiewa Valley be included," he said.
"My biggest worry is the school kids.
"It's all the little things in our lives that make a big difference.
"Have we had a case in the Kiewa Valley?
"Not that I am aware of."
