NEW CASES: 5 (down from 7 yesterday)

ACTIVE CASES: 70 (up from 64 yesterday)

UPDATE, 12.15PM: Ballarat has recorded five new COVID cases on the final day of the divide between Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Of the new cases, four are in the 3350 postcode and one is in the 3355 postcode.

There are now 70 active cases in the city.

In the surrounding shires, there were 10 new cases in Moorabool, three in Golden Plains, two in Pyrenees and one in Hepburn.

Remarkably, Ballarat has been able to prevent any significant spread of the virus, despite it circulating throughout the city for all of October so far.

Compared to other major regional centres, Ballarat is also performing rather well.

Geelong (35 new cases/342 active), Bendigo (13 new/250 active), Shepparton (24 new/279 active) and Latrobe (46 new/425 active) are all seeing far greater spread of COVID.

VICTORIAN COVID UPDATE | Friday, October 29

NEW CASES: 1656 (down from 1923 yesterday)

DEATHS: 10 (down from 25 yesterday)

ACTIVE CASES: 23,730 (up from 22,189 yesterday)

IN HOSPITAL: 738 (down from 746 yesterday)

IN ICU: 130 (down from 137 yesterday)

ON VENTILATOR: 85 (the same as yesterday)

EARLIER, 9AM: Victoria is showing more promising signs in its fight against COVID.

On the final day of the metro/regional divide, case numbers, deaths and hospitalisation figures have all fallen since yesterday.

There were 1656 new COVID cases confirmed in the 24 hours to midnight on Thursday.

Ten deaths were also recorded.

The number of people in hospital and intensive care continues to fall, while the number of people on a ventilator remains steady.

More information on the cases will be revealed later today.

In Ballarat, there were seven new cases confirmed on Thursday, but the latest figures have not yet been revealed.

There are 64 active cases across the city.

Buninyong Primary School, one of Ballarat's largest primary schools, was closed due to a COVID exposure on Thursday, while Damascus College is closed today.

The latest postcode vaccination data has also been released, breaking down Ballaat's vaccine rollout.

Meanwhile, Melburnians are expected to flock to Victoria's regions for an unofficial long weekend as statewide travel resumes and more COVID-19 restrictions ease.

The metro-regional border will reopen from 6pm on Friday, ahead of the state hitting its 80 per cent full vaccination target, paving the way for a mass exodus from the city.

It's feared the late afternoon rules change could cause traffic chaos, with thousands fleeing the city for the unofficial Melbourne Cup long weekend.

But Chief Commissioner Shane Patton has indicated those planning to get a head start might not be penalised.

"Rather than everyone heading off ... at the six o'clock starting line, if it was a fraction earlier we're not going to be very worried about that," he told Melbourne's 3AW radio on Thursday.

He says police will instead use discretion as long as people only leave an hour or so beforehand.

IN OTHER NEWS

Premier Daniel Andrews, however, has asked Victorians to follow the rules right up until the last minute.

"It's got to change at some point," he told reporters.

When restrictions ease at 6pm on Friday, masks no longer need to be worn outdoors, indoor entertainment venues, gyms and retail can reopen for fully vaccinated patrons, and capacity limits increase for restaurants, pubs and cafes.

With greater capacity and intrastate travel allowed, tourism-starved regional operators are preparing for a busy weekend.

Bells Beach Brewing co-owner Adam Smith expects his Torquay and Geelong venues to be full and says a group of 30-odd people from Melbourne are making the trip.

"It will almost be like a teary reunion on Saturday when they come in," he said.

Meanwhile, Victoria is also tightening medical exemption rules for COVID-19 vaccinations from 6pm on Friday, in a crackdown on people doctor shopping and pressuring GPs.

The state recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic's third wave on Thursday, with a further 25 COVID-19 deaths and 1923 local cases reported.

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