That's the view of Southlake Business Chamber and Community Alliance president, Jo Hanlon, of Bonnells Bay.

Ms Hanlon said local business operators were still coming to terms with the government-imposed restrictions impacting trade, as well as the financial packages on offer to help them survive.

While the long-term effects on specific local businesses wouldn't be known for months, Ms Hanlson said the coronavirus was likely to forever change the game for some of them.

"There will be some rationalisation around retail stores," she said.

"I think this [COVID-19] will also change the way we work.

"People are adapting to working remotely. The longer that goes on for, the more businesses will probably remain working remotely because they will have found alternative and efficient ways of doing things."

And having fewer employees walking around local CBDs would impact the remaining businesses who relied on money spent by those employees, she said.

Ms Hanlon said one likely consequence of the pandemic would be the revival of manufacturing industries in Australia.

"That's because we're becoming a lot more conscious of the supply chains. People will be more focussed on sourcing locally and shopping locally," she said.

Consumer habits were also likely to shift, she said.

While the current hyper-demand for toilet paper and some grocery staples was obvious, some other subtle changes in spending were also becoming evident.

Local plant nurseries were "completely out of vegetable seedlings" as people sought to become more self sufficient, she said.

Meanwhile, Hunter Business Chamber has commended the state government's announcement of a $750 million fund to provide grants for small and micro businesses affected by coronavirus.

Eligible businesses with fewer than 20 employees can apply for a grant of up to $10,000 under the scheme.

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