UPDATE: A map has emerged of the revised definition of a border community which will come into effect at midnight Tuesday.
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Member for Benambra Bill Tilley has posted on social media the definition of border community is 2km either side of Murray River.
"Wodonga extends to immediate built up area of township and related suburbs as per the map," he said.
"Teachers and students beyond that boundary attending or working at Albury schools will be able to seek an exemption.
"The (revised) border community permits are for the express use only for health, education and employment.
"So no shopping and general living."
The map includes the township of Jindera on the NSW side of the river even thought it is further than 2km from the Murray River and is situated in the Greater Hume Shire and not Albury local government area.
EARLIER: Border residents will only be permitted to travel between Albury and Wodonga for health, education and employment reasons under revised rules set to be released by the NSW government on Sunday.
Albury-Wodonga and other river communities will become the frontline to keeping coronavirus out of NSW on a day when Victoria recorded another 363 cases and Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed Melburnians will need to wear a face mask in public and at work.
Eighteen new cases were recorded in NSW.
IN OTHER NEWS
Other reasons for crossing the border will be by exemption from Mr Hazzard with the border bubble to become even tighter.
All NSW residents are strongly urged not to travel to Victoria, according to the minister.
"From midnight Tuesday July 21, border zone residents with a permit will only be able to cross into the other side of the NSW-Victorian border zone to go to work or attend an education institution if they can't work or learn from home, or to obtain medical care, supplies or health services," Mr Hazzard said.
"On top of that, we're strengthening the rules so the fewer people granted permits to enter NSW must now carry a copy of their permit and produce it when directed by enforcement officers."
All existing permits, which had numerous short-comings for residents who cross the border regularly for work and health purposes, will need to be ripped up ahead of expiration at midnight Tuesday.
"We have been made the frontline of containing the COVID virus," member for Albury Justin Clancy said.
"I know the need to make these decisions based on health, but I know it is not without its own serious impact.
"I will keep raising the concerns of our community.
"I know and I feel for our community's hurt, but we will get through this."
Communities outside the new Albury-Wodonga defined zone will be severely impacted.
"I have already expressed my concerns that conditions such as basic shopping for remote communities including the Upper Murray will need to be considered for exemption," Mr Clancy said.
But Mr Clancy said day students and teachers would be able to travel from outside of what has been re-defined as the border community.
They included year 11 and 12 students with both schools lobbying for a special exemption.
The revised order will:
- require COVID Safety Plans for people entering NSW for child access or care arrangements, and freight workers
- require other critical service workers to self-isolate when not providing their critical services
- require people attending boarding school or universities as either staff or students to self-isolate for 14 days and obtain a negative swab before attending school
- restrict entry for medical or hospital services to only be allowed where those services are not available in Victoria or cannot be accessed remotely
- prohibit seasonal workers coming from Victoria into NSW
- require any person who accompanies a person with a permit such as a dependent child to also comply with any conditions on the permit, including self-isolating.
