New South Wales-Victoria border communities have welcomed announcements the border bubble will shrink, but are bracing for further changes.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced today Victoria's lockdown would end at midnight.
This means the 5-kilometre travel limit and five reasons to leave home will be scrapped for border residents on both sides.
NSW border residents will be able to travel anywhere in Victoria, even as far as Melbourne, so long as they have not ventured beyond the border bubble into NSW.
However, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services asked NSW cross-border residents to avoid this as much as possible.
The Victorian Premier flagged there would be further changes to border rules to be announced as soon as possible.
This comes as Mr Andrews announced Wagga Wagga, Hay, Lockhart, and Murrumbidgee would be removed from the bubble at midnight to prevent the spread of COVID-19 into Victoria.
People in these local government areas (LGAs) must now apply for permits to enter Victoria, which are only being granted to some approved workers.
"There's a refusal to lock people in Sydney into Sydney, so therefore I have no choice but to make these changes," Mr Andrews said.
Future border changes should be collaborative
Indigo Shire Council Mayor Jenny O'Connor said she was relieved the border bubble would shrink.
"It's not stretching too far into NSW now," she said.
"They're not stopping transmission, clearly, because the numbers are going up."
But Member for Murray Helen Dalton said any future border changes should be a collaborative effort from all governments.
"I'm tired of the tit-for-tat between NSW and Victoria."
Albury Mayor Kevin Mack argued border rule changes should be communicated more clearly by governments in the future.
He said border communities were repeatedly left confused and frustrated.
Struggling border businesses welcome lockdown end
News of Victoria's fifth lockdown ending has been met with relief by struggling border businesses, many of which have been hanging on by a thread.
Bendigo gym owner Emma McDowall opened a second gym in Epsom a week before lockdown happened.
"I was very nervous leading up to these announcements," she said.
"Gyms have copped it.
Meanwhile, Summar Sargent from the CocknBull Boutique Hotel Echuca said she expected the tourist market to bounce back soon, now restrictions were easing.
"It seems to make our business a little bit stronger because the only place Victorians can go is Echuca," she said.
"So we are limited in offering our guests somewhere to eat when they can't travel north of the border."
For Kerang Technical School in Victoria's north-west, the lockdown has presented significant challenges.
"We have staff and students that come from Barham, which is in NSW," principal Dean Rogers said.
He said the school was currently working to ensure NSW staff and students could easily cross the border each day.
"We're still waiting to have that confirmed as to how we approach that," he said.
