A cold snap has confirmed the worst fears of North-East Victoria hospitality outlets about the strict limitations on patrons on being able to be seated indoors.
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Under the regional Victoria road map out of restrictions, pubs, cafes and restaurants presently can only have a maximum of 20 people inside and a further 50 people outside.
But cold and wet weather has led to cancellations from patrons booked into outdoor areas of venues.
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There are also calls for regional Victoria hospitality outlets to be able to go back to the 20 person per indoor space they successfully operated under before the second lockdown as the 14-day rolling average case numbers dips under 1 per cent.
"If Daniel Andrews said we could open tonight with full capacity, no restrictions we could do over 200 meals," Huon Hill manager Veronica Parker said.
"Under the current restrictions we can only do 70, but with the weather today we can only do 20.
"People are just desperate to get out and go for a meal.
"The very frustrating part is Wodonga people can just go across to Albury and don't have to wear a mask.
"I'm sure the majority of people who have cancelled with us will just go across the river tonight and money continues to go out of Wodonga."
Belinda Sorrensen from Wangaratta's Cafe Martini said her business and others had shown they could operate COVID-safe before the second lockdown.
"Clearly it worked extremely well," she said.
"Even when we were doing the 20 people per space here, what happened? There were no cases.
"It was challenging at the start, but once we got our heads around it we were fine.
"It worked clearly, so why can't we go back to where we left off?"
A government spokesperson said: "We understand that everyone is making huge sacrifices, but the strategy is working and we must stay the course.
"We are taking cautious steps towards COVID normal and every step is guided by the data and advice from the Chief Health Officer."
"If it's possible to safely and responsibly make changes to our road maps then we will do that.
"But only when we can be sure that we are not risking hard-won gains."
Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said the region's hospitality businesses with COVID-safe plans should be uncapped.
"The hospitality sector, which is a vital small business employer, is well placed to provide jobs and customer opportunity but frankly there are not a lot of people wanting to sit outside when the temperature is 10 degrees," he said.
"Given the lack of cases, rural premises must be allowed to immediately open up without the restrictions on indoor dining, provided that they have COVID-safe protocols in place."