Pubs, cafes and restaurants in regional Victoria will be fined close to $10,000 if found guilty of freely allowing Melbourne visitors to dine at their businesses from Monday.
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But the imposition of the hefty penalty announced by Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday has been slammed by a Wodonga business body chief as missing the mark and not addressing the real issue of shortcomings with the "ring of steel" preventing Melburnians travelling into regional areas without a permitted a reason.
On the same day the grace period for people ended for people not wearing fitted masks, Mr Andrews also announced individuals found deliberately ignoring the latest regional Victoria dining rules will risk a fine of $1652.
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But Business Wodonga chairman Graham Jenkin said hospitality businesses, in particular, were already under enough pressure to keep their doors open with limits on the people able to attend under step three on the road map out of restrictions.
"Their checkpoints coming out of Melbourne are obviously not strong enough if people from Melbourne are still getting out into regional areas," he said.
"The Premier is now expecting business owners to be police rather than putting the obligation on people to do the right thing.
"Businesses are under enough stress and copping grief from people objecting to having to wear masks and other requirements.
"Going one step further is going to put them at risk of more abuse."
Many regional hospitality businesses are already doing driver license checks with Mr Jenkin citing a recent example at Huon Hill pub in Wodonga where staff were abused by a patron about restrictions.
"This is just going to make things worse," he said.
Regional businesses who do the right thing but are misled by someone intent on breaking the rules will not be fined under the changes.
Melburnians who are found in regional Victoria without a valid reason still face fines of up to $4957.
The latest fines coincide with a sixth case connected to the Kilmore COVID-19 cluster which began with a Melbourne resident breaking the rules and dining in at a cafe in the town.
Regional Victoria restrictions won't move to the last step on the road map until there are 14 days of no new cases across the entire state with a further delay being created by coronavirus cases remaining at double digit levels.
Mr Jenkin said Wodonga businesses were suffering due to lesser restrictions in Albury including no need to wear a mask.
"Why wouldn't you want to go somewhere where you don't have to wear a mask?" he said.
