The advice comes as Ballarat Health Services stepped up its mask requirements making them a necessity for visitors at the base hospital and Queen Elizabeth Centre.

From Tuesday BHS will make mask wearing mandatory but will provide masks at the entrance for those who do not have their own.

Dr Sutton also gave face masks the "thumbs up" on Monday, recommending it for anyone in lockdown areas and the most at-risk people in regional Victoria to cover up, especially in places when it was harder to keep social distancing.

He said new Lancet meta-analysis has changed the state's initial view on masks.

"...With all the imperfections about how people understand them - wearing them over their mouth and not their nose, or not tightly enough against their face - with all of those imperfections in behaviours, it still limits transmission quite significantly," Dr Sutton said.

WATCH BELOW: Recommendations for wearing a cloth face mask with chief health officer Brett Sutton

This comes as City of Ballarat mayor Ben Taylor reaffirms the City's stance on recommending everyone consider face masks in Ballarat, despite it not being a direct recommendation for regional Victorians from the state's health advisor.

"We want to make sure people are safe and aware of their surroundings," Cr Taylor said on Monday. "Coming through this you do get a little bit relaxed on what you're doing. For me, it was reinforcing to make sure we're doing the right thing."

UFS chief pharmacist Peter Fell said social distancing was still best practice for preventing transmission but what was becoming more realised was the measurable benefits a mask could do to help, particularly anyone with respiratory problems or who were immunosuppressant.

"If you are, we prefer if you don't get into situations where you might be exposed, but if you have to go out, a mask was extra protection," Mr Fell said.

The health department is yet to provide clear detail on the types of appropriate masks, but Mr Fell said these could last a few hours or at least until damp. He said paper, surgical masks could also be re-used if taken off and kept in a zip-lock bag, washing your hands as you do so, but wearing masks atop the head between uses rendered them useless.

UFS Pharmacies' staff have all been encouraged to "mask-up" if they feel uncomfortable or at-risk of a lack of social distancing.

Mr Fell cautioned against homemade masks if not made of the right density.

Ballarat seamstresses Nicole David and Rachel Binney have found business has boomed overnight in face mask demand. Both had been making masks only for vulnerable family and friends early in the pandemic and decided to try and sell a few with the Victorian Premier's recommendation on Friday.

Each ensures their masks are triple-layered to World Health Organisation and Professor Sutton's guidelines.

Ms David, from Romein Creation and Co, said about 90 per cent of her orders were contactless pick-ups for Ballarat people.

"I wanted to also try and make them a little bit more fun," Ms David said. "This pandemic's been going on so long now."

Ms Binney, from Rachel's Krafty Gifts, had been devastated SpringFest was cancelled but, unexpectedly, mask demand had taken off. She was now sending them to Melbourne and into New South Wales.

All masks should be put on and taken off carefully, avoiding to touch the face, and washing hands thoroughly before and after.

BHS is also strengthening its screening regime for visitors from Wednesday 15 July and will not allow visitors unless they are pre-approved.

But BHS has also listed a range of categories of those visitors who will remain exempt for now including those caring for children, people with a disability, supporting the pregnant, in specific emergency situations and those in palliative care.

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