Premier Daniel Andrews said a decision was yet to be made on whether Melbourne residents would be allowed to travel to regional Victoria when the next easing of restrictions took place in metropolitan areas, which is expected on October 19.
"Whether it is safe to have free movement into regional Victoria without rules, that matter has not been settled but we are turning our mind to that,” he said.
"We will be very clear with people on or about the 19th when we can hopefully take that next step in metro Melbourne; we will be very clear with people about what travel opportunities there are.”
Echuca Moama Tourism chief executive Kathryn Mackenzie said not allowing regional travel would have a major impact on the local industry.
"Typically about 50 per cent of our market is in Melbourne,” she said.
"Reopening the town to the rest of regional Victoria has allowed about 40 per cent of our market access, but Melbourne plays a key role in the industry.
"So there is no doubt it will impact us, especially if it remains over the Christmas period. If regional can only stay in the state, we may be able to see the numbers increase, but it's not good news.
"We are the closest point of the Murray to Melbourne, we have major events which draw crowds from Melbourne and they will also be impacted.”
But Ms Mackenzie said things also needed to be safe.
"We are very lucky to have had such low case numbers here,” she said.
"And I think our residents want caution shown. We want to open up to the whole community, but it remains essential that we do so in a manner which is safe and protects us.
"But once we know it can be done safely, we are excited to welcome Melbourne residents back into the town.”
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