HEPBURN mayor Licia Kokocinski said it was a question of when not if more coronavirus cases might crop up within the Hepburn Shire.
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Cr Kokocinski said the shire's key focus was on fast-tracking emergency relief as regional Victoria enters stage three lockdowns on Wednesday night. The shire's tourism industry and large commuter population are set to be hit hard, the latter by stricter restrictions on metropolitan workplaces.
Hepburn Shire recorded two active COVID-19 infections this week and these were the first cases within the shire for about four months. This was despite great concerns with rising crowds in tourism spots like Daylesford as restrictions eased.
In the bordering Macedon Ranges - which takes in Kyneton, Woodend and Gisborne - there were 30 active COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday.
Six Australian Defence Force personnel have been deployed to help Central HIghlands Rural Health meet COVID-19 testing demands at its respiratory clinic in Kyneton for the next fortnight.
Cr Kokocinski said having new cases in the Hepburn Shire was not a nice way to start another round of stage three restrictions, but residents and council had to focus on what they could do best to support each other.
"We're not immune from this issue...severe impacts will happen," Cr Kokocinski said.
"There's only so much we can all do. Community well-being and looking after community health is really important to us."
Cr Kokocinski said emergency recovery efforts, led by civic leaders across the Hepburn region, are in the process of being launched sooner than planned in a bid to reach those most in need who were now under added pressures with new lockdowns.
She said it was vital to "do it properly, but do it fast".
In such turbulent times, Cr Kokocinski said it was important Hepburn communities know what the shire and other key bodies in the region could do to.
"It's about bringing people together," Cr Kokocinski said.
Central Highlands Rural Health, which covers the Hepburn and Macedon Ranges shires, has been working through a COVID-19 well-being survey to best determine community needs. Loneliness and anxiety were emerging as key themes, along with a sharp rise in people seeking emergency relief.
This survey remains open to residents across its communities until August 15.
Meanwhile, Pyrenees Shire has recorded a second active COVID-19 case within days of its first for the pandemic.
Pyrenees Shire Council did not wish to make comment.
It remains unclear where in each shires the active cases are located. The state government has confirmed new postcode data will be released weekly. The first issue of postcode data on Friday was before cases in the Pyrenees and Hepburn were counted.
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