NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) Gunnedah delegate Heather Franke said the COVID-19 pandemic had started to take a toll on Gunnedah hospital staff, even though the town had no cases.

Tamworth, as of March 30, had 12 confirmed cases.

"There's nurses at work that don't want to be there because they're scared of contracting it, but they have to turn up to work," Mrs Franke said.

"The biggest thing that worries me and a lot of colleagues is some people are still going about their lives like there's nothing out there.

"If we'd locked the states down sooner and made people more accountable, it wouldn't have spread as far."

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Mrs Franke said fellow NSWNMA members were "bewildered" that elected members weren't pushing for a lockdown.

"We should've had our borders closed, no planes in or out, for the last two weeks," she said.

"I find it hard to understand why the premier won't lock down, because saving lives, flattening the curve, would've been more important than the economy because the economy is going to close anyway."

Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said the government was "operating under the commands" of police and health directives.

"They are the ones ... who are providing advice in terms of ways forward," Mr Anderson said.

"I believe they're doing a good job and we're seeing communities abiding by that and we want to ensure locals are ... limiting movements as much as possible so if that's what the police want that's what we should do."

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