Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum has joined growing calls for regional Victoria to be allowed to stop wearing masks.
The rolling 14-day average in regional Victoria fell to just 0.2 on Friday, with just two active cases in the regions remaining.
As numbers continue to fall, leaders across the regions - including Mr Drum - have called for rules requiring mandatory masks in public to be re-examined.
Mr Drum told the Herald Sun that expert advice needed to be given to back up the use of masks if they were to continue to be mandatory.
“You have to genuinely defer to science on this,” the Nationals MP said.
“What we have to acknowledge is that if the health experts are telling us that this is necessary then the people will respect it.
“But we need to hear it from the health experts – but not Brett Sutton — the real, independent, analytical experts.”
Drum has been backed up by multiple politicians in Northern Victoria, including member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh and member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell.
“Given there’s now no community transmission in regional Victoria, it makes sense to apply common sense to rules on masks,” Mr Walsh said
“While they’re still necessary in crowded high-traffic places, like the local supermarket or shopping strip, it’s the bizarre decision to enforce it on low risk activities where it’s easy to social distance, like a solo walk or playing golf, that’s got me beat.”