After being closed for an extended period, the Salvation Army Ballarat Community Church Thrift Store opened its doors to the public on Tuesday morning.

Store manager Angela Kelly said her and her volunteers were thrilled about getting back to work.

"They're all very happy to be getting back," she said.

"We told all the volunteers that their health came first... coming to work still poses somewhat of a risk, the virus is still out there.

"However I would say 90 per cent of them were absolutely thrilled to get back in the shop.

"It's a very social thing for some volunteers... to not have that contact while we've been closed has been difficult."

Donations have also returned to the location, however volunteers have to wait 72 hours before handling the items as a precaution.

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While she welcomed people to make donations, she reminded the community that the thrift store had just reopened and was still catching up for lost time.

"In terms of donations, while we're always thrilled to receive generous donations from the public, if people could consider that we're just getting started back and give us some time to catch up with what we need to do."

Other charity shops around the region are experiencing a similar scenario.

The St Vincent de Paul op-shop in Wendouree is only accepting donations between 9am and 11am from Monday to Friday to help manage COVID-19 procedures.

Like the Salvos BCC Thrift Shop, the Wendouree St Vincent de Paul store's volunteers are excited to be back working with the community, however, they are supporting those who have made the decision not to return for health reasons.

A St Vincent de Paul spokesperson said donation and opening hours for its stores may vary depending on location, and urged those looking to donate to call in advance.

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