Pressure is mounting on the Victorian government to review the way it handles COVID exposure sites, as the soaring number of close contacts disrupts service delivery for supermarkets, public transport and GP clinics.

Woolworths has flagged it may need to close a handful of its stores this weekend as a result of staff shortages due to the number of staff in isolation.

New South Wales has amended its rules so that fully vaccinated staff from supermarkets generally do not need to isolate as a result of casual contact.

Supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles are among retailers in talks with the Victorian government about bringing similar changes into effect, warning if the rules are not changed it will become increasingly difficult to keep stores open.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the government had met with major supermarkets this morning to discuss changes to COVID protocols for supermarkets, in light of concerns about staffing.

“I understand that was resolved positively. We are making some changes to those isolation protocols,” he said.

“I think it's fair to say, at least no-one has told me the opposite, I think it's resolved and in a good place.”

Mr Andrews said there would be more details about the changes in today’s CHO release and praised the efforts of supermarket workers over the past 20 months.

Since Delta outbreaks began in NSW and Victoria, around 30,000 Coles staff have been required to isolate across the two states as a result of exposure to a positive COVID-19 case.

Woolworths said it had 25,000 Victorian workers who had been required to isolate over the past three months.

None of those staff members subsequently tested positive.

In the past 24 hours multiple supermarkets across the state have been listed as exposure sites, in suburbs such as Dandenong South, Broadmeadows, Templestowe, Sydenham and Warrnambool.

Issue not confined to supermarkets

Australian Food and Grocery Council CEO Tanya Barden said the issue wasn't just affecting supermarket staff, describing it as a "whole supply chain" problem.

"We're worried that over the next coming months, there could be some workforce impacts that are going to result in reductions in production of food and grocery products which could impact on availability for consumers," she told ABC News Breakfast.

She said NSW tweaking its rules for fully vaccinated staff was a positive step and other parts of the national industry needed similar treatment.

Ms Barden said those working in the food and grocery supply chain should be able to work if they are fully vaccinated, lacking symptoms and if they return a negative test.

"We are still very concerned that right across the country we don't have a secure way to ensure that workforce of food and grocery manufacturers can operate through the COVID reopening," she said.

She said states taking action was welcomed, but there needed to be a national approach to the issue agreed on at National Cabinet.

At Thursday's press conference, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed his government was involved in discussions with supermarket industry leaders.

Tram services affected after driver tests positive

Yarra Trams has warned multiple tram routes will be disrupted from today after a driver tested positive to COVID-19.

As a result, multiple drivers based at the Essendon tram depot will have to isolate.

"The majority of these employees are secondary contacts and will be permitted to return to work after returning a negative test," a Yarra Trams spokesperson said.

Yarra Trams said "a high number of service cancellations" were expected on route 57, from West Maribyrnong to Flinders Street Station, route 58, from West Coburg to Toorak, route 59, Airport West to Flinders Street Station, and route 82, from Moonee Ponds to Footscray.

Frustration at western suburbs medical clinic

A doctor who runs a Spotswood medical clinic has expressed frustration that it took nine days after a patient with COVID visited for the Victorian health department to make contact, and that the measures put in place as a result were not practical.

Dr Todd Cameron said two separate clinics had effectively been operating at M3 Health in Spotswood, with 16 consulting rooms on an upper level only used for telehealth appointments, and the downstairs area allowing patients to be seen in person.

A patient who was at the downstairs clinic last Tuesday for 10 minutes later developed symptoms and then tested positive to COVID-19.

"They were consulted by a doctor and a nurse, both of which were wearing tier 3 PPE," Dr Cameron said.

"So pretty well the same PPE as you'd use on a COVID ward, including respiratory protection, N-95 mask, eye protection, gloves, a gown."

On Wednesday the patient informed the clinic they had tested positive, and the clinic treated staff involved as if they were a tier 2 site, and asked them to get tested and isolate.

But Dr Cameron said when the department did make contact on Thursday, they deemed the site tier 1 and ordered a deep clean of the clinic.

"For staff to get a deep clean nine days later, there's ridiculous and then there's that," he said.

"We're running the same standard as you'd expect in an emergency department or anywhere else, and everyone is double vaccinated."

Dr Cameron said the deep cleaning requirement didn't make sense.

"I'm not underplaying how serious COVID is, but the virus is not hearty enough to stick around for nine days," he said.

He said because they weren't able to get staff tests results back quickly enough, the clinic had remained closed today.

Frustrated business says fresh approach is needed

The owner of Melbourne business Baker Bleu said the state government had "lost control" of contact tracing and should reconsider its approach to managing the pandemic.

One of Mike Russell's team members began feeling unwell on Sunday and immediately went home to get tested for COVID.

The worker returned a positive result on Tuesday morning, since then seven production staff at the bakery have tested positive.

Despite lodging documentation on Tuesday and being "on the phone to the health department" all morning, Mr Russell said he had not been able to speak to any officials.

"It's Friday morning, in all the documentation we left my mobile number and my wife's mobile phone number and we haven't had a call," he said.

"[The health department] called the bakery at 7:00pm last night and left a number to call back, but when we called they said not to leave a message."

Baker Bleu has been listed as a tier 1exposure site between 4:00am and 12.30pm on September 27, but Mr Russell said it should be listed from Sunday the 26th to Tuesday the 28th.

The bakery remains closed and has undergone a COVID clean.

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