Pontings Mitre 10 operations manager Brendan Raven in Warrnambool said the store was selling four to five a day.

"We have been out of stock on and off for a period of time," Mr Raven said. "As soon as we get an allocation through they're snapped up pretty quickly."

Mr Raven said in recent weeks customers had been buying the masks due to smoke in the air from bushfires.

However, a number of people have now purchased them due to fears about the coronavirus.

Bunnings Warehouse has also had a flurry of interest in the P2 masks.

Builder's co-ordinator Jesse Green said the products had been snapped up due to the smoke in the air from the bushfires. P2 masks are able to filter out very fine particles in the air.

The high demand for the masks comes as the state's chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said children and staff who had recently travelled to Wuhan City in China could return to school if they were well.

Dr Sutton said schools should remain vigilant, but exclusion is only required for anyone who is unwell.

However, anyone who has been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with the virus should not attend school or childcare for 14 days after the last contact.

"Students or staff who have travelled to Wuhan City or other areas with confirmed cases of the illness can return to school but should be monitored for symptoms of respiratory illness," Dr Sutton said.

Common signs of the virus include flu-like symptoms - mainly fever but could also include a cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, body aches and fatigue.

Victoria, so far, has three confirmed case of the virus - a man in his 50s who travelled to Melbourne from Wuhan City.

South West Healthcare's chief executive officer Craig Fraser said the health service had a dedicated infection control team who dealt with outbreaks such as the coronavirus.

"South West Healthcare has a number of beds for isolation for any consumers exhibiting signs or symptoms similar to coronavirus, with a significant amount of personal protective equipment in stock and all relevant staff trained in caring for patients with potentially transmittable diseases," Mr Fraser said.