All of regional Victoria except for Greater Shepparton is set to exit lockdown just before midnight on Thursday, with cafes, restaurants and bars able to fling open their doors with strict patron limits.
About 200 police officers will be sent to patrol the edges of Melbourne and Shepparton to ensure people do not leave locked-down areas.
Booze buses, random checkpoints, roving patrols and number plate recognition technology will be used to catch out rule-breakers, rather than the "ring of steel" approach adopted last year.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent conceded some Melburnians might be tempted to try their luck, but warned they faced a $5452 fine.
"That's a huge fine just for heading into the regional areas for a cafe meal, or a restaurant meal or a pub meal. So please don't," he told reporters.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton described the changes in regional Victoria as a "safe first step", despite five of Wednesday's 221 new cases being reported in Moorabool, Mildura, the Latrobe Valley, Mitchell Shire and Bellarine Peninsula.
A large number of post-lockdown restrictions will still apply in regional Victoria including a maximum of 10 people allowed to dine inside hospitality businesses and 20 outside.
Some businesses have already decided the limits will make it unviable for them to reopen.
The Victorian government has confirmed fortnightly cash grants for lockdown-hit regional businesses will go ahead next week, before funding arrangements are reviewed for the next two-week block from September 17.
Meanwhile, police are trying to track down more worshippers who illegally gathered in southeast Melbourne to mark the Rosh Hashanah holiday on Tuesday.
About 20 to 30 people from an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community attended the Ripponlea gathering but just six have been fined so far. More fines are expected to be handed out in coming days.
