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"We’ve sort of gone into a self-imposed lockdown," he said. "A lot of people haven’t sent their kids to school. My kids are not going to school."
He said a fortnight-long lockdown in the area would allow authorities to conduct extensive testing and contact tracing to control the spread of the virus.
"In a small regional town, there’s a heightened level of anxiety and fear about this."
The state government has no plans to extend current stage three restrictions beyond metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, north of the city. However, masks will become mandatory in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire from Thursday.
But Premier Daniel Andrews said each case outside Melbourne was being watched "very, very closely".
In Warrnambool, the Midfield Group meat processing company, which employs more than 1500 workers, closed voluntarily after an inspector visited the site last week and later tested positive.
Premier Daniel Andrews said people in regional Victoria were choosing to wear masks even though it is not mandatory. Credit:Quinn Rooney
Company management said the inspector was a close contact of people "caught up in the Colac cluster".
It said all staff would be tested, although are there were no positive cases in Warrnambool, including the meatworks.
As regional Victoria grapples with the coronavirus threat, Australian Medical Association Victorian president Julian Rait said the entire state should heed guidelines on masks. He said there was strong evidence indicating masks could help control the spread of the virus.
"I think if they made it mandatory across the state it would be a good look," Associate Professor Rait said.
Australian Medical Association Victoria president Julian Rait wants masks to be mandatory across Victoria. Credit:Justin McManus
He said "masking up all rural Victoria" would prevent "spot fires" that can quickly spread through regional communities.
When asked if Melbourne’s restrictions would extend to Geelong, Mr Andrews said the raw case numbers were "not the best guide" and factors including containment, the number of exposure days to positive cases and contact tracing should also be considered.
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He said there had been a noticeable increase in the number of people wearing masks in regional Victoria.
Meanwhile, Albury mayor Kevin Mack has criticised tough new restrictions set to be imposed on border communities by the NSW government.
Travel permits will be cancelled and people living in border communities will have to reapply, even though there are no active cases in Wodonga.
"The Albury-Wodonga and Murray region are quite safe. Why are we being penalised?" he said.
Wodonga mayor Anna Speedie said some businesses would be "inoperable" because fewer people were now eligible for the travel permits.
Benjamin is The Age's regional editor. He was previously state rounds reporter and has also covered education for The Age.
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2020-07-20 08:03:00Z
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