COVID-19 testing rules for Melburnians visiting ski slopes announced

Melburnians hoping to visit the Alpine regions this snow season will be required to have a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of leaving for their trip.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the mountains had the potential to be "high-risk" environments.

"A single case infectious on the mountain would be a potential super spreader event," he said.

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"It is essentially how it spread across Europe in March last year."

A recent polar blast has dumped loads of snow over south-east Australia's alpine regions for the opening of the season.

In New South Wales last week, Thredbo welcomed a big crowd to its season opening after falls of up to 60cm.

Professor Sutton said the risks posed by alpine resorts had been demonstrated by Aspen and other overseas resorts.

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"Significant clusters have occurred because of those combinations that I have talked about - being indoors, post-exertion, not wearing masks, being with strangers, and the combination of cold and humidity coming together," he said.

The Victorian government has announced extra support for alpine tourism and business operators during the ongoing phase of restrictions.

A $32.2 million statewide business support package announced earlier this month included a $7000 bonus for tourism operators.

In the alpine support package, grants of $15,000 are on offer for on-mountain operators, and grants of $5000 for off-mountain tourism operators linked to the ski season.

Acting Premier James Merlino said this acknowledged that the ongoing ban on Melburnians travelling to regional Victoria would "disproportionally" affect the alpine tourism industry.

You can find out more details about how to book your vaccine through the Federal Government health site here.