Dr John Hall, President of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) said that the whole of Australia has now seen where lying on your declaration can get you.

"If you think it might be bad getting coronavirus, imagine just how much worse you'll feel with coronavirus and a case of criminal charges on top," Dr Hall said.

"Travel declarations are about keeping communities safe.

"If you lie on the form and then start to feel unwell, what do you do?

"That lie just has to keep getting bigger and bigger, putting more and more people at risk, until, like Pinocchio, it becomes so big it's as clear as the nose on your face.

"Containing the spread of the virus relies on being able to contact trace those who may be at risk.

"Most rural communities are still largely unaffected by the recent surge in infections, so it is incredibly important to be honest about your movements, use the COVIDSafe app, but refrain from travel unless it's necessary.

"With thousands of dollars in fines and gaol time now on the table for those who travel from COVID hotspots and lie about it on their declarations, surely it is clear that honesty really is the best policy," Dr Hall said.

Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland are all battling local transmission, and contact tracing is lagging behind the average of 400 new cases a day over the past week.

There are more than 3,500 cases where the infection source is still being investigated, and sewage testing this week discovered the virus in the NSW ski resort of Perisher, where there have been no positive tests recorded.

"Even though you may have travelled from a place where there have been no positive tests. it doesn't mean you have not been exposed," Dr Hall said.

"Of course it's much worse if you have been to a known hotspot and lied about it. I don't think any of us would enjoy the naming and shaming that the three Queensland women have experienced this week.

"But when you put so many people at risk, there are consequences.

"If you are contacted by health authorities, please cooperate with them. They are working to keep other members of the community safe and they need accurate information to do so.

"If you travel, be honest about where you've been and who you've seen" Dr Hall said.

"Even a dinner party comes with risk so make sure keep track of where you went and who you were with, or use the COVIDSafe app and encourage others to do so.

"The last thing you want is to be responsible for introducing the virus into a rural town where it may cause havoc, and cost lives and livelihoods."