News the border bubble will open back up has been welcomed by nurses who care for babies and conduct immunisation, but a major issue remains in a burdensome exemption process.
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Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service received critical services permits for staff but sought an exemption for the requirement to fly to Sydney and isolate.
After putting their case to Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant, AWAHS did secure an exemption until Friday, but they don't know what will happen thereafter or how they will get one of their staff to work.
Clinic manager Lauren Blatchford hopes the fourth change to the NSW public health order will include a more streamlined process for exemptions.
"We had four staff members who reside out of that border region, and it was identified that even with a critical services permit they needed to fly to Sydney and isolate for two weeks," she said.
"Nobody knew how to get an exemption.
"We unfortunately had a week where those staff members couldn't come to work."
One of two child and family health nurses, Nicole Rootsey, was unaware on August 7 her critical services permit had been cancelled the night before.
"I had actually come across that morning and no one questioned it, but then I went to do a home visit in Wodonga and was stopped on the way back," she said.
"I was in the work car, so I had to get someone to bring my car and swap cars and then go home.
"We were home for a week and a half, and we got issued the new permits.
"We run an immunisation clinic two days a week, which is usually booked up, and we see all the new mums.
"For immunisations, it was difficult, because we had to get a casual in to cover us.
"At least we can get one person here for the immunisation clinic at the bare minimum."
As a Yackandandah resident, she will be eligible for a permit with the returned 50km zone, but her fellow child and family health nurse Paula Harrison will not.
The women usually see up to 50 families a week between them.
Ms Harrison, who was ineligible for the original border crossing permit, being 58km from the border in Beechworth, was unsure of the near future.
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"You can't even plan ... at the moment we're doing more phone consults," she said.
"It's a lot of extra stress I don't really need.
"I feel like I'm very lucky to have a workplace that is supportive ... but you feel like you're putting everyone out."
Ms Blatchford said she was still making "constant phone calls", with it being unclear if the new permits would come in before Monday.
"They've basically said there's no guarantee that we will get an extension on that exemption, and it could be a last-minute thing," she said.
"There's nothing clear at the moment."
Dr Haines raised the issue with NSW Cross-Border Commissioner James McTavish on August 15.
"With other services cancelled because of COVID-19, these critical staff have sometimes been a family's only connection to support services," she said.
"The complex and frustrating border permit system meant they could not attend work, just as it has affected others providing health services.
"This meant some of the most vulnerable babies, children and families in our community were left without health support."
