VICTORIA'S chief health officer Brett Sutton has given the first hint of a relaxation on mask wearing in regional areas as another day passes with no fresh cases and temperatures starting to rise.
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He said regional Victoria had to stay virus free for as long as the health advice determines with risk of seeding from Melburnians travelling into the country for permitted reasons.
"The settings will change for masks, but it's so important to have zero cases ongoing in regional Victoria," he said.
"Regional Victorians are as fed up with masks as we are, but they are absolutely motivated to be COVID-free.
"Masks make the difference between a super spreading event and potentially infecting no-one at all.
"We will review it over time.
"We've got ongoing, high risk workers moving into regional Victoria for essential reasons.
"They are doing the right thing, but the risk of re-introduction is still there."
The regional Victorian 14-day average dropped to 0.2 on Friday in the lead-up to a weekend when temperatures in the North-East are forecast to nudge 30 degrees.
Further easing of restrictions in regional Victoria still remain weeks away with there to be 14 days without a new case before country and metro both move to the last step on the recently released road map.
Across the border, the NSW government is being called on to ease restrictions further with the move backed by Albury Council.
"We are calling on our Premier for a 'road map' regarding the 'triggers' that will release us from the current stranglehold placed on us through border closures," mayor Kevin Mack said.
"This would provide our entire state with a sense of optimism and hope for the future, post-COVID."
But Harrietville and Whitfield are still on the outer.
Michael Dal Zotto from Dal Zotto Wines at Whitfield said it was frustrating to be left out again.
"We got a lot of visitation out of that southern NSW area and it seems odd to be excluded when Moyhu is only five minutes up the road," he said.
"We are even more isolated with less cases."
Indi MP Helen Haines has vowed to continue calling for Upper King Valley towns being included.
"We've still got more work to do," she said.
"I will continue to work really, really hard about that."