It comes as Moama operators fear the financial loss could rise to hundreds of thousands of dollars if the border remains closed until the end of the month.
They are calling on the government to re-open the border before it's too late.
Speaking on Thursday, January 7, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews flagged the possible easing of border restrictions with NSW as early as next week after both states recorded no new locally acquired cases.
“Hopefully settings can change fairly soon, maybe next week, maybe early next week,” he said.
“The border will be closed not one moment longer than it needs to be.”
It comes as Moama business operators report having lost thousands of dollars due to the closure already.
Businesses were starting to make slight recovery through bookings over summer after losing close to six months of access to Victorian visitors last year.
However, the new closure has led to a mass cancellation of bookings and further uncertainty at what should be the peak period of the year.
Murray River Resort operator Steve Shipp said the ramifications were already being felt.
“We've already had to issue thousands in refunds, and those numbers are going to keep rising,” he said.
“And that's just our business, I can't imagine what the toll has been across the rest of Moama.
“This is a time of year when we have our peak rates and people are staying for longer. We lost 20 weeks with the first border closure but at least it was at a less busy time.
“So many of us were reliant on this period to try and get back into a good position, even just to get our heads back above water, and now that opportunity is gone.
“We're talking the potential to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in the next month alone with the closures.”
The Border Inn’s Julianne Daly said businesses had prepared for an influx of customers and would now lose money on stock.
“Preparing for the busiest trading period of the year, businesses stocked up but were unable to sell goods, as customers were unable to access shops due to traffic congestion from the border checkpoint,” she said.
“Then you add all the tourists fleeing home to Victoria, leaving thousands of dollars’ worth of produce and goods wasted and hundreds of people without jobs.”
Committee for Echuca Moama chief executive Deanne Armstrong said businesses were at breaking point.
“My email was full this morning. Emails from concerned businesses pleading to the government to consider their actions to close the borders,” she said on Tuesday, January 5.
“We need Victorian and NSW governments to start listening to the outcomes of what their decisions are having on our border businesses.
“We may be regional, but we are a part of both Victoria and NSW. Our community is at breaking point, something has to be done.”
Mr Shipp said opening the border bubble to all Victorians was the best start.
“The majority of our business has always come from Victoria,” he said.
“You can keep the border locked to the majority of NSW but allow all of Victoria into the border communities. That would be huge for us.
“It would give us a real chance to get going again, because we can't afford to be like this.”
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