The border closure has even split up some Victorian families who chose to return at different times.
Rachelle Connor, from Surrey Hills, drove back to Victoria from regional NSW with her three sons on New Year s Eve after the announcement that the border would be closing.
But her husband, Peter, and daughter Genevieve stayed behind as they had been in Sydney on December 19, which meant they were not able to get a permit to come home.
They now face an uncertain wait for the border to reopen, even though they had been in areas previously considered a green zone. We re thinking potentially weeks [until they can return], she said.