Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton insists country Victorians should wear face masks despite there being just three active cases across all regional areas and sweltering conditions forecast for the weekend.
Professor Sutton said face masks "make the difference between a super-spreading event and potentially infecting no one at all".
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says regional Victorians, like Melburnians, must continue to wear face masks when in public.Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui
Professor Sutton said the high risk was posed by essential workers travelling from Melbourne to regional Victorian.
"The risk of reintroduction is still there. At the moment, it is so important to have zero cases in regional Victoria.
"I am sure regional Victorians are as fed up with masks as some of us are. But they are motivated to be COVID -free."
There are 261 active cases of COVID-19 in Victoria, with just three in country areas. Eleven are linked a Frankston family cluster and an outbreak at Chadstone Shopping Centre, while 40 are among healthcare workers and 111 are connected to nursing homes.
Fourteen mystery cases – those without a known source of infection – which emerged in the fortnight to September 29 are in the metropolitan Melbourne area.
There are 38 Victorians in hospital fighting the virus, including four in intensive care, three of whom are on a ventilator.
On Thursday, 12,550 coronavirus tests were carried out across the state. Premier Daniel Andrews pleaded with the public to get tested over the weekend, regardless of the balmy spring weather.
"If you have got symptoms this weekend, please don't wait until Monday to get tested. Please get tested as soon as the symptoms are obvious to you," he said.
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