AS Victoria tinkers around the edges of its border closure, Wodonga businesses caught in the middle of it are counting their costs.
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Victoria only eased restrictions for NSW residents from 6pm on Friday while Queensland, South Australia and the ACT announced they would reopen their borders to NSW after the state's success in controlling coronavirus.
Located within metres of the Wodonga checkpoint on the Lincoln Causeway, Victor Supper Club owner Carlos Saliba said the damage to his business had already been done.
"It will take a very long time to get back on our feet," he said.
"We survived the national lockdown but then we had the first border closure followed by the second border closure.
"The Victorian closure had a significant impact on our financials because we're a young business and we were hoping for good Christmas/New Year trade right up to Australia Day, and that's been taken away from us.
"Albury-Wodonga was booming with tourists just before Christmas until the Victorian government shut the border and called on Victorians to go home."
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Mr Saliba said he had limited trading opportunities since the COVID-19 crisis.
"We don't have another income stream," Mr Saliba said.
"It will take us another year to build up from what we have lost in trade. There is no compensation for it."
To add insult to injury, Mr Saliba said he was only asked to quote on catering for checkpoint staff last week.
"We did a little catering job for them on the first day of set-up," he said.
"That was for 20 egg and bacon rolls and coffees to the value of a little more than $200.
"We've lost bookings and functions and all of the stock we purchased just before Christmas, we're now just sitting on it."
Mr Saliba said he would seek answers from the Victorian government over the impact on Albury-Wodonga businesses.
He said he understood police and checkpoint staff were simply doing their jobs.
"I would have preferred if we could protect our border bubble and not divide it (with a checkpoint)," Mr Saliba said.
"Ninety per cent of the people going through the checkpoint were local residents.
"These systems don't protect our community, they're for the benefit of Sydney and Melbourne residents.
"We're bringing in tennis players and cruise ships with no regard for the regions; the checkpoint should have been outside the border bubble."
