DATA on the Department of Health website confirmed there have been nine new cases in the 3550 postcode of Greater Bendigo.

There were also four in 3556, five in 3555, three in 3551 and one in 3515.

COVID commander Jeroen Weimar said there had been a spike of cases in the Mitchell Shire with 23 cases of COVID-19 recorded overnight.

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There were five new cases recorded in the Macedon Ranges and one each in the Campaspe and Gannawarra shire areas.

Mount Alexander Shire has no new cases since yesterday.

Elsewhere in the state:

Earlier

GREATER Bendigo has recorded 22 new cases of COVID-19 overnight.

This takes the total active cases in the area to 112.

COVID commander Jeroen Weimar said "a lot of these cases are generating from the exposure sites listed online".

"Particularly we have a gym and a hairdresser generating exposures and onward cases of transmission," he said.

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Mr Weimar urged residents in Bendigo to go and get tested as soon as possible.

"If you are symptomatic or have been connected to these exposure sites, I really urge you to go and get tested," he said.

"The testing stations have been particularly busy for the last few days so if you're generally worried and keen to get tested, please wait a day or two, but if you are symptomatic or identified as a close contact, get tested."

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Changes to the rules around isolation for primary close contacts will come into effect on Friday.

Mr Weimar said he understood how challenging isolation can be for the more than 60,000 close contacts currently in Victoria.

"It's a difficult thing to be asked to do if you're an associate of a positive case," he said.

"From Friday, if you are a primary close contact from a workplace or social contact, and you are fully vaccinated, you only need to isolate for seven days and be tested on day one and day six.

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"That is a recognition of what we are seeing the lower risk the fully vaccinated community represents, of course reducing the impact of positive cases."

Mr Weimar said this will be backdated for anyone who will reach their seventh day of isolation on Friday.

"If you are not living in a house with a positive case and you reach your sixth day of isolation on Thursday, you can go and get tested and leave quarantine on day seven if you test negative," he said.

More to come

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