Ballarat will be plunged back into lockdown after less than a week of slight freedom.
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Premier Daniel Andrews announced the localised lockdown would be implemented at 11.59pm tonight (Wednesday).
It will last for at least seven days and the rules will be the same as we previously saw and the same as metropolitan Melbourne.
However, a curfew will not apply.
There have been two additional cases overnight, both household contacts of yesterday's case that was announced.
It means there are now three active cases in the city, all of which are in the 3350 postcode.
It is expected more cases will be confirmed over the coming days.
There will once again only be five reasons to leave home.
At this stage, it appears to only include the Ballarat local government area, but this is yet to be confirmed. The Courier is seeking clarity on this.
BALLARAT COVID NEWS
Making the announcement, Mr Andrews said there had been a number of detections of the virus in Ballarat's wastewater that had not yet been accounted for.
Meanwhile, Greater Shepparton will emerge from its lockdown at midnight tonight.
"It is not the news Ballarat wanted to hear but it's the decision we need to make," Mr Andrews said.
"If we allow it to get away in one part of regional Victoria becomes a threat and a risk to all of regional Victoria. We simply can't have that happen."
See where all the exposure sites are here.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said it was likely there would be more cases arise in Ballarat as part of the outbreak.
"There are likely to be more cases," he said.
"We have had positive wastewater detections from the eighth (of September). As we have said previously, that can sometimes mean someone passing through, someone who has recovered, but when subsequently you have confirmed cases identified, but does make you think that those wastewater detections related to someone who was positive and infectious and not detected in the community. So it has been over a week of likely transmission within the Ballarat community.
"So if you are in Ballarat, please stay alert, be aware of symptoms, get tested if you have been to any of the exposure sides or you have the mildest of symptoms, and if you have that opportunity to get vaccinated and you have no symptoms and haven't been to exposure sides, please step up for the vaccine."
COVID Commander Jeroen Weimar said there would be additional testing capacity set up in Ballarat.
There have been reports of lines hundreds of metres long already today as people come forward to get tested.
He also said the government was sending "thousands" of additional vaccinations to the city.
Victoria Park is expected to be used to support the Regional Response Team's rapid-testing drive-through site.
"We are working through setting up additional testing capacity across the city Ballarat at this point in time and we will be running extended operating hours for some of our testing sites," he said.
"We will make more announcements over the next 24-48 hours in terms of where they (vaccines) will be allocated so people can come forward."
See where all the active cases are here.
During the announcement, the Mr Andrews was asked why Geelong avoided lockdown but Ballarat did not.
There are 10 active cases in Geelong and just three in Ballarat.
"I think a number of times, this is a sense of control in some parts and there is a sense that there is perhaps not control," he said.
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