From 11.59pm on Thursday, cafes and restaurants will be allowed to have a maximum of 10 diners inside and 20 outside.

The Standard contacted the coronavirus hotline to confirm whether this was the maximum for all venues, regardless of size.

The question was also asked whether this was per indoor area or for the whole venue and the response was the limit was 10 in total.

Bohemia Cafe owner Steve Hickman, who was shocked by the revelation, described the new rules as "ridiculous".

"That's going to make things very difficult," Mr Hickman said.

"We're not going to make any money with 10 people inside."

Mr Hickman said he had hoped for the restrictions would return to what they had been before the latest lockdown, with 25 diners allowed in his cafe.

"We'll have to form some sort of a system but I don't know how I'm going to do it," he said.

The Standard contacted a number of hotel owners to discuss the changes.

A number said they didn't want to speak on the record because they were still trying to confirm the new rules.

"You wouldn't turn on the fryer for that," one owner, who didn't want to be named remarked.

The new rules were announced on Wednesday as part of a raft of changes to restrictions in regional Victoria.

Premier Daniel Andrews conceded there would be businesses disappointed by the limits imposed.

He said the state government was erring on the side of caution to prevent a flurry of cases of coronavirus in regional Victoria.

Mr Andrews also spoke about a plan to ask hospitality staff to check whether customers had been vaccinated in the future.

"We're focused on having the best interface between the Services Victoria app and the federal database which has whether you have been vaccinated or not," he said.

"We will run trials, we are talking to pubs and restaurants, some of the announcements we have made in relation to opening up regional Victoria, it gives us perfect place to do the pilots to make sure the tech works.

"My conversations with the hospitality sector, if they only have vaccinated patrons, they will be operating at much closer to 100 per cent capacity than if they don't. "

Seanchai owner Matthew McMahon said he would welcome this practice if it meant he could open the doors to the popular pub.

"I think it would probably be a good thing," he said.

"Anything to get the place open."

Mr McMahon said he hoped to be allowed to reopen in the coming weeks.

"A lot of the younger people want to get back out and see each other," he said.

"We're hoping we will be back all guns blazing by summer."

Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell said she was bitterly disappointed by the changes.

She said she had been contacted by a number of business owners who were shocked and confused.

"We're all in shock," Ms Britnell said.

"The business owners are shocked and confused because it doesn't make sense."

Ms Britnell said one business owner said he couldn't understand why the rules were so restrictive when there hadn't been a case in the city in over a year.

She said more people had received their first and second doses of either astra zeneca or pfizer, which meant the community was in a better position than prior to the latest lockdown.

"These businesses have been through enough," Ms Britnell said.

She said business owners deserved to be given answers about why the strict measures were needed.

"It's just horrible," Ms Britnell said.

"To what rationale do we owe this to?

"You can't completely hamstring to the point of crucifying businesses and and expect any hope of Victoria returning to a vibrant economy."

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