BORDER zone residents say they have been left confused about crossing between Victoria and NSW, as advice from health authorities differs from what police often tell them at the border.
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Echuca Moama residents say they have struggled to find accurate information that answers their questions from the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, or to reach the coronavirus hotline.
Many were residents of Moama, NSW, confused about whether they could travel beyond the border zone in Victoria and under what conditions.
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Moama resident Grant Scott said police had asked him where in Victoria he was travelling on each of his three crossings this week, despite the rules allowing border bubble residents to travel anywhere in Victoria.
Mr Scott said information about where border residents could travel was yet to be clarified on Monday, so he later thought maybe they didn't know that then.
But when he was asked for the third day in a row on Wednesday, Mr Scott said he started to think police on the ground may not know the rules surrounding border bubble travel.
Residents of the Victorian-NSW border bubble are allowed to travel between the states freely, so long as they avoid going outside the bubble in NSW. Bubble residents may travel anywhere within Victoria.
Echuca resident Stewart Wilson said he struggled to get straight answers from the DHHS website when trying to find out if he could visit a friend who needed support in the NSW border zone.
He said offshoots made the DHHS website difficult to navigate, while the language "needed to be dumbed down".
Mr Wilson said he was unable to reach the coronavirus hotline to ask for clarification, despite calling 15 times in three days.
He said his confusion arose when the Victorian government deemed the entirely of NSW a red zone, but then said you could travel within the border bubble.
Mr Wilson said he would make the trip based on what he thought was the answer, but was concerned Victoria would not let him back in.
Moama resident Dianne McLennan received messages from DHHS for several days telling her she needed to get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine for 14 days, after she applied for a permit to go to Shepparton.
Mrs McLennan said the permit website wasn't clear as to whether she needed one or not coming from the border bubble, so she thought she'd do the right thing and apply.
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She was able to reach the coronavirus hotline to begin the process of stopping the messages.
But Mrs McLennan said the border system seemed to be more confusing than last time, when NSW was closed to Victoria.
Moama resident Phoebey McAsey was also left uncertain whether her mother - also a Moama resident - would be able to travel beyond the Victorian bubble to help her with an upcoming move to Melbourne.
Ms McAsey said information on government websites about the question was worded in a confusing way.
A DHHS spokesperson said the department thanked border communities for their patience.
They confirmed that border residents did not need a permit to travel within the bubble, but said they must carry a valid form of ID.
They said the department regularly communicated updates to Victoria Police.
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