He has condemned the Border and North East to a series of restrictions to appease his Melbourne voting base.

The premier has sacrificed democracy for a closed shop of his closest allies - an inner sanctum of eight that rejects the knowledge and experience of those on the ground.

Any objections or suggestions dismissed with the added insult of being told to stay in your lane.

He returns to the daily sessions talking about proportionate risk.

Well, the facts are that we are at day 91 since a positive coronavirus test, the only one in seven months.

Meanwhile, our hospitality businesses are strangled by cash-stripping capacity limits and threatened with $10,000 fines if someone from Melbourne fails to fess up to where they live.

You can't hold an art class indoors. Kids are finally back at school but there are no graduation ceremonies, no formals.

Preppies can pick their nose and climb over their classmate but can't sing in the classroom.

Dance studios, gyms and similar ventures remain closed, handcuffed to his road map benchmarks. Libraries and museums too.

The tearful phone calls to my office are a daily reminder of the mounting tragedy.

Tomorrow, Mr Andrews can make amends. His promised changes to the roadmap out of restrictions must recognise that regional Victoria is not Melbourne.

The one-cap-fits-all approach to a benchmark that demands the entire state is COVID free for 14 days in a row must change.

When the road map was announced six long weeks ago, there was a collective groan in recognition that nothing really changed and was unlikely to with unattainable benchmarks tied to a November 23, at the earliest, deadline.

A collective groan in recognition of the ongoing need to wear masks to protect us from a virus that has never seen an actual positive test in the North East.

Requests of the Victorian chief health officer to provide the evidence that should make these face coverings mandatory have been met with deafening silence - they don't take advice from outside the inner circle.

Masks may be necessary in enclosed spaces and supermarkets, but not while walking the dog.

We're all prepared to do our part and listen to health advice to combat the spread of coronavirus, but with fines for non-compliance the rules must be transparent and supported by evidence.

To those who ask who could have done it better? I say every other premier in the nation.

I say we would have done better - we wouldn't have spent $60 million on Uber drivers to act as security guards, we would have accepted help from the Defence Force, we would have used trained investigators rather than trainee doctors on the contact tracing teams.

At present our businesses, jobs, parents and school children continue to suffer while 5km across the river there is a COVID-normal life, that drives shoppers and diners to Albury where masks are unnecessary and hospitality limits increasingly more generous.

Regional Victoria, particularly along the borders, should mirror the New South Wales restrictions. Partly in recognition of our COVID-free status, but also to allow our businesses to operate on a level playing field and for some just to open.

These are businesses that have been promised the world by this Labor government but have been delivered next to nothing.

The gardener with their own business was promised a $3000 grant, only to find that to qualify they needed a shopfront and employ people.

The mum and dad café that was promised a $5000 bonus to buy some tables but had to be registered with WorkSafe.

The $20,000 offset to Falls Creek ski resort rates - rates that run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars - that turned out to be almost nothing with any previous support, even if promoted under a different scheme, subtracted from the offer.

This week, the Coalition wrote to the government over the trickery pulled on wineries and breweries.

The Outdoor Eating and Entertainment Package Business Grants provided up to $25,000 for licenced premises.

Turns out their liquor licence says they are producers, as well as retailers, and rules them out.

To date the premier's response to the COVID-19 challenge has been to announce, then plan and execute, he needs to change tack and plan first.

On Sunday, he must forget politics, accept the wisdom and real-life experience of regional Victorians and deliver a realistic roadmap out of this mess.

Bill Tilley is the state member for Benambra.