Businesses and community leaders on the New South Wales-Victoria border say it is time to reopen the states and align restrictions.

Victoria's daily cases reached 1,438 today while NSW recorded 941 new cases.

Businesses in Victoria continue to face tougher restrictions and tighter capacity limits than those in New South Wales despite similar COVID case numbers, and Victorian border businesses continue to lose thousands of dollars in potential revenue to their less-restricted neighbours.

The frustration on the Victoria-New South Wales border has been further exacerbated after the Queensland and Australian governments struck a deal to deliver a $52.8 million emergency support package to help businesses suffering due to the border closure to New South Wales.

Albury Mayor Kevin Mack labelled it "baffling" that no support had been received in southern New South Wales.

"Our borders have been severely impacted, probably more than Queensland and New South Wales, and yet again we are at the bottom of that food chain," he said.

"We just want to say to the federal members, local members and certainly to the Prime Minister, 'Where's our share?'

"Where's the support for our businesses that have been severely impacted by closures and impacted by the current checkpoints sitting here in Wodonga?"

Checkpoints are expected to last until at least November.

"The level of productivity across our borders has been significantly reduced because of the barriers that have been put in place through the restrictions and through the road blocks," Cr Mack said.

The frustrations were echoed by Wodonga Mayor Kevin Poulton who said the unaligned restrictions in the borer bubble, particularly as cases were high in both states, failed common sense.

More support needed for businesses

Independent Indi MP Helen Haines backed local government and business calls for more help, and for restrictions in border communities to be aligned.

"We are two cities, one community but we have been divided now for 21 months throughout this long and difficult COVID pandemic," Dr Haines said.

She said the extreme stress on border communities was expected to be exacerbated when the states hit their vaccination targets and opened up at different times on their individual road maps to recovery.

'Where we will feel that most acutely is here on the border," she said.

Dr Haines was also pushing for aligned restrictions in border communities.

'The worst is still to come'

Albury businesses have more freedoms, but also rely heavily on Wodonga patronage.

"We have retailers unsure if they should be ordering their Christmas stock with that uncertainty of whether 50 per cent of the people they rely on will be able to come across and shop and make the most of what we have to offer in Albury," Albury Business Connect's Lisa Hastie said.

And with the end of 2021, she predicted it would be the end of many local businesses as well.

"The restrictions and experiences people have had in the past month are actually going to play out in the months ahead."

CEO of Business Wodonga Graham Jenkin said it was time to give border businesses a level playing field.

"We are just fed up with the different restrictions," he said.

"Our members are struggling all the time."

Mr Jenkin was now asking border residents to help give Wodonga businesses a boost.

"If you are going to have a small gathering, let's do it over in Wodonga," he said.

"We need to support all of our businesses or we won't have any left within 12 months because they are struggling, and it's not just financial. It's the mental aspect as well."

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