NSW Health won't say what it's assessing in determining when the Victorian border will reopen.
The secrecy follows NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying on Monday that it would be "at least a fortnight after restrictions have been eased substantially to be able to assess how safe it is for us to open that border".
The Border Mail asked NSW Health what factors were being considered and which restrictions were being studied.
Those questions went unanswered with a spokesperson merely saying NSW Health continues to "closely monitor" the situation.
Frustration is growing at the border inaction with Albury councillor Murray King, speaking on behalf of mayor Kevin Mack, saying the closure was hurting taxpayers.
"Every day they drag this out it's another $1 million a day they're spending on it that they could have put into border infrastructure or projects," Cr King said.
"Everyone is over it, including the police and the locals; there's more cases (of COVID) in NSW than Victoria now."
The ex-policeman suggested checkpoints should be replaced with random patrols.
"Police are experienced in what they're looking for in border runners, if you want to call them that, but having 600 police here is obviously a drain on the NSW service and for what benefit?" Cr King said.
Federation Shire mayor Pat Bourke said it was hard to understand the border closure given the low Victorian numbers.
"I'm probably a little bit disappointed," he said.
Cr Bourke said you could feel optimism growing in the community but it was being stymied by uncertainty over when the border will be unfettered with particular concern from tourism businesses.
Australian Industry Group regional manager Tim Farrah said the logic for retaining the border clamp had dissipated.
"It would seem improbable there's any justification for keeping it closed, given the numbers are way too low and have been able to keep low," Mr Farrah said.
"From a tourism point of view, the sooner they open the better.
"It would give people confidence in making plans for Christmas and hopefully it will make a difference in getting decent bookings.
"We just won't see people from Sydney and other places and Melbourne as well if they're still concerned about the border being closed and being able to get across."
Member for Albury Justin Clancy could not say when he expected to see the Murray River free to cross.
However, when the border does open he expects it will be to the whole of Victoria, rather than just regional areas.
Mr Clancy posited the only limits would be on those who may be coming from a particular hotspot for COVID cases.
If Ms Berejiklian sticks to her minimum of two weeks before re-opening that means the southern border would remain closed at the time of the Queensland election on October 31.
The Premier has been very critical of her Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk closing her frontier with NSW.
"The Queensland Government is really just thinking up every excuse it can as it goes along," Ms Berejiklian said earlier this month of the reasoning for keeping the NSW frontier closed.
Murray MP Helen Dalton said Ms Berejiklian "should take a leaf out of what she's been saying to Queensland and let us get on with it" and open up "within reason".
