Coronavirus traces detected in Ararat wastewater; pop up testing at East Grampians Health Service

"We've put on extra resources over the weekend to accommodate extra testing," he said.

"The community can support us by coming forward and getting tested.

"I appreciate it is a long weekend and the grand final is on but getting tested is the right thing to do."

The testing clinic will be open until 5pm on Friday and open from 8.30am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Mr Freeman said on Friday morning there had been a steady flow of people already coming forward and being tested.

"We're very thankful to those in the community who have been supportive all the way through the pandemic," he said.

"Anyone with the mildest of symptoms is encouraged to come forward and get tested.

"Testing results should be back within 24 hours and 48 hours at the most."

Mr Freeman said testing had increased over the past few weeks.

"No one in the region has tested positive or known to have COVID-19 that we are aware of," he said.

"If everyone with symptoms gets tested we can eliminate that the traces from the wastewater has come from someone in the community.

"If it has come from someone who was travelling through, which is a possibility, that's ok.

"We just need to ensure that we are still following all the recommendations when it comes to social distancing, hand hygiene and ensure those masks are worn in public at all times."

Mr Freeman said he understood residents across the region were fatiguing with restrictions around coronavirus.

"We've come so far - but we just need to not become complacent," he said.

"I think we would be lying if we said people weren't becoming fatigued.

"But this is a reminder that this isn't going away and we just need to make sure the few things we can do to help stop the spread will keep our community safe."

EARLIER, 10am: Health authorities have warned there is "clearly some activity" happening around Ararat after traces of coronavirus were detected in wastewater.

As a result, a pop-up testing site has been set up at East Grampians Health Service on Girdlestone Street, from 9.30am on Friday.

The site will be open across the whole of the long weekend.

Victoria's commander of testing and community engagement Jeroen Weimar encouraged Ararat residents to get tested to help authorities establish whether there was a new case in the area.

"We clearly have some activity happening in in the Ararat area. We're very keen to identify whether this is an old case, or whether this is a new case that's developing," he said.

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"What the surveillance testing identifies for us is a warning sign that says that either somebody has traveled through the area who has been shedding the virus. It may be an old case in the community. It may be someone who has come back from another part of the state. Or, it may be a new case.

"At this point, it's a reminder that we're not free of the virus. We continue to have this exposure to all of our communities and it's important we listen to these early warning signs."

There are 42 sewage surveillance sites across Victoria, with traces of the virus previously found at Apollo Bay and Angelsea

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"We've seen a great community response from these kind of traces and these early warning signs that there might be something afoot," Mr Weimar said.

"We tested around 15% of the population in both Anglesea and Appollo Bay. We, in the end, did not find a definitive case of coronavirus.

"We'd like to make sure that we that we run this one to ground as quickly as we did in those other two localities."