DOZENS of local businesses are once again required to check the IDs of everyone they serve.

As regional Victoria has left lockdown 6.0 earlier than Melbourne, the requirement to check IDs is once again in place.

It impacts any business that is open in regional Victoria but closed in Melbourne, including dine-in restaurants and beauty services.

Member for Mildura Ali Cupper said the community’s role in this cautious approach will make the world of difference.

“Being a business right now is hard enough, and no business needs patrons making their life harder,” Ms Cupper said.

“The requirement is for regional businesses to ensure they don’t serve Melbourne customers.

“Everyone needs to play their part to ensure businesses can recover by making sure our COVID-safe behaviours are as up to task.”

Victoria police has deployed 200 police officers to areas on Greater Melbourne’s fringe, to prevent unnecessary travel into regional Victoria.

That’s on top of the 350 police stationed along the VIC/NSW border.

“It’s reassuring to hear that police are using number-plate recognition technology to keep regional towns safe,” Ms Cupper said.

“Businesses simply want to get back to work, and while they have significant responsibilities in a COVID environment, they’ll need their patrons to follow the rules. “Do yourself and the community a favour and buy local, and don’t forget about QR-codes, wearing masks and abiding by social distancing rules – we’re all in this together.”