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Greater Shepparton is continuing to feel the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite zero confirmed cases in the region to date.
A slew of local cultural and sporting events have been cut and schools, universities and aged care facilities are implementing precautionary measures after a state of emergency was announced in Victoria yesterday.
Shepparton Festival is among the collateral damage, with organisers making the heartbreaking decision yesterday to scrap remaining events.
Launched last Friday, the event was set to run to the end of the month and showcase more than 250 artists in 40 venues across the Goulburn Valley.
Meanwhile, sports fans are holding their breath, with local football and netball leagues expected to have more clarity today surrounding the start of their looming seasons.
It's likely widespread cancellations will continue, with RSL branches deciding yesterday to cut ANZAC Day services.
A selection of dawn services will be held across the country but the public will be asked not to attend, while any marches or midday services will be cancelled.
Shepparton businesses are also feeling the effects of coronavirus today as many prepare to send staff home with dwindling numbers of customers attending shops.
State and federal health officials will also continue discussions today on the specifics of the coronavirus response, including approaches to aged care and education.
All Victorian school camps and excursions have been cancelled until further notice, with Greater Shepparton Secondary College pulling the plug on its Year 7 and Year 9 camps.
Shepparton Christian College and Sacred Heart School have also cancelled their school fetes.
While schools remain open, Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton said there was "genuine uncertainty" about future closures.
Although children are far less susceptible to the virus, questions remain over whether their contact with potentially immunocompromised people could pose a risk.
Meanwhile, students at La Trobe's Shepparton campus will have a break as the university announced it will pause face-to-face classes and move them online for the remainder of the semester.
Classes will resume on Tuesday, March 24 and be taught online where possible.
With elderly residents among the most vulnerable, Shepparton Villages has reported it will increase infection control measures.
The facility has implemented social distancing methods, cancelling all external entertainment, school visits and volunteer activities.
Family and friends are also being encouraged to restrict visitations unless absolutely necessary.
And chaos still reigns at local grocery stores, where toilet paper, long-life food and hand sanitiser are among the many products continuing to disappear off shelves.
Shops are taking steps to tackle the hysteria, with both Woolworths and Coles announcing they will introduce an exclusive time-slot to allow the elderly and those with a disability to shop in peace.
The stores will now be open from 7 am to 8 am for those holding a relevant government-issued concession card.
The supermarket giants have also decided to indefinitely close all stores by 8 pm each evening and pause home deliveries, after Woolworths revealed it was selling seven weeks of toilet paper every day.
Victoria's state of emergency, which is effective for four weeks but likely to be extended, gives the state the ability to enforce a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for those returning to Australia from overseas.
It also places a ban on gatherings of more than 500 people - however, this does not include travelling on public transport or passing through public spaces on the way to work, with the main focus non-essential gatherings such as sporting or cultural events.
People can be fined up to $19 826 if they don't comply with these orders, while body corporates can be fined up to a massive $99 132.
People cannot be found guilty if they have a "reasonable excuse" for failing to comply.
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Senior Journalist