Three Gunnedah business owners all sited many cancellations and less bookings with various events now cancelled.

Gunnedah Comfort Inn Harvest Lodge manager Esslar Kelly said more than 50 per cent of the motel's business had dropped off since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country.

"Every second phone call is a cancellation at the moment," Ms Kelly said.

"Since we found out the larger events in town have been cancelled, like the [Gunnedah] Show and the bird sales, all those people that were supposed to come in for one or two nights have all had to cancel."

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Ms Kelly said she had been asking the small number of people still calling to stay at the motel a set list of questions before their booking was confirmed.

"Any bookings that have come in from over the phone we ask a set of questions, like if they've been overseas or in contact with someone with coronavirus or if they're feeling unwell ... before they check in," she said.

Gunnedah Motor Inn owner Nicole Walsh said she didn't think the government was doing enough to stop the spread.

"The next step is to shut everything down and if they do that it'll probably help the situation," Mrs Walsh said.

"They should stop messing around and just do it, it might actually stop the virus spreading."

It's not just moteliers either - Gunnedah Tourist Caravan Park owner Mandy Smith told the NVI she was hoping "it'll all blow over before AgQuip comes".

"It's the biggest event of the year, so we're hanging out for that," Ms Smith said.

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Ms Smith also agreed with Mrs Walsh about the lock down.

"They should've jumped on it and shutdown the country for two weeks, it would've saved a lot of heartache," she said.

Only essential travel is being permitted under new government regulations. More information can be found via https://www.health.gov.au/