Victoria has recorded three new locally acquired coronavirus cases as long queues again form at testing sites.
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An additional infection was diagnosed in hotel quarantine, bringing the total number of active cases in the state to 36.
It is unknown if all the new local transmission infections are linked to the Black Rock cluster in bayside Melbourne, which totalled 21 people on Sunday.
There were 32,468 tests processed on Sunday, up from 22,477, even as some sites were temporarily closed as they battled to cope with a surge in demand driven by returning residents.
More than 60,000 Victorians rushed back from NSW as a hard border between the two states came into effect on Friday night. All were required to be tested once back in Victoria.
It has put testing facilities under strain in recent days, forcing some sites to extend hours and staff to be recalled from holidays.
Testing capacity was boosted by almost half on Sunday, taking total sites to 190.
It is expected to increase further on Monday, although DHHS listed wait times of over two hours for Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (240 minutes), Darebin Arts Centre (185) and Chadstone - Golfers Drive (150).
Premier Daniel Andrews, away on leave, urged returning Victorians to follow individual advice from the Department of Health and Human Services.
"If you need support to isolate - whether that's financial, food or anything else - call the hotline and we'll make sure you get it," he tweeted on Monday.
People seeking an exemption to travel have been directed to call the helpline, but were told to call back because of a high volume of calls on Sunday.
The line was still unavailable to callers on Monday morning.
More than 1500 Victorians have applied for exemptions to the state's border closure with NSW, but so far authorities have granted just 117.
Applications are taking up to 48 hours to consider. Nearly half have had further documentation requested.
Agriculture workers who live and work between NSW and Victoria and not covered by existing border bubble arrangements are now eligible to apply for a permit.
The Victorian government announced the exemption on Monday, with those workers only allowed to leave their accommodation for takeaway, bathroom stops, medical care, to get a coronavirus test or an emergency.
Meanwhile, Puffing Billy has been added to Victoria's growing list of exposure sites.
A case visited the popular tourist attraction's Lakeside Station at Emerald Lake on New Year's Eve from 3pm to 5pm.
Anyone who attended the site at those times should monitor for symptoms, and undergo testing and isolate if they develop.
The same advice applies to worshippers who visited a Keysborough Sikh temple on New Year's Day from 2pm to 5pm, as well as shoppers at Southland Cotton On and Myer on December 22 at specific times.
EARLIER
Across Victoria thousands of people are self-isolating after contact tracing identified them as potentially infected by coronavirus.
Masks are now mandatory in shopping centres, on public transport, in places of worship, hair and beauty premises, entertainment venues such as cinemas and other indoor venues like post offices and banks.
All hospitality staff are also required to wear one.
Mandatory masks have been introduced as a suburban bottle shop causes a headache for authorities trying to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Tens of thousands of people have been affected by the listing of a suburban bottle shop as an exposure site over the Christmas period.
BWS in Berala, in the city's west, was an exposure site for up to nine hours a day every day between December 22 and New Year's Eve, skipping only Christmas Day.
Most who dropped by the bottle-shop across the Christmas period are now considered close contacts and need to isolate for 14 days even if they only attended the outlet for a short time.
More than 1000 people who attended on Christmas Eve alone.
A cluster in Berala is up to 13 cases, with genetic sequencing revealing the source is a patient transfer worker who took a family of returned overseas travellers to a health facility.
The worker became infected and passed the virus to a colleague, who attended the Berala bottle shop for a "very fleeting amount of time" on December 20.
The NSW government has set a target of 20,000 or 30,000 tests a day while it tackles the outbreaks.
Australian Associated Press
