Parts of regional NSW, including Port Macquarie-Hastings, will emerge from the COVID lockdown at 12:01am on Saturday, September 11 with rules in place as a safety measure.

Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce president Michael Mowle said that was a good first step and positive for morale.

He said the business community would have a cautious optimism about the future.

"We just need to maintain the vigilance and keep doing what we have been doing," Mr Mowle said.

"For businesses that reopen, keep the COVID-safe rules in place and top of mind.

"It will be a nice way to ease into spring to have some restrictions lifted."

Businesses across the Port Macquarie-Hastings are preparing for trade in a post-lockdown environment.

Flower Hotels managing director Alistair Flower said they were ecstatic to be able to open the doors again, even with the restrictions, and allow people to get back to the pub and enjoy some freedoms.

"It has been a very challenging time, and because we went into a lockdown so quickly, we had a lot of lost product around fresh produce," he said.

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Mr Flower said outside of the bottle shops and a minimal amount of takeaway, "we really haven't had a business" during the lockdown.

But that is all set to change when our local government area emerges from the lockdown in what Mr Flower also describes as a step in the right direction.

He said they now had to make sure they could fill the fridges and tap the kegs, and ensure they had the staff available.

There is also the uncertainly posed by the possibility of a snap lockdown if needed in the future.

"Clearly it's going to be very tough to run a business where at any time we could have to close the doors again for 14 days," Mr Flower said.

Arthouse Industries owner Skye Petho said the end of the lockdown here would be great for the town's vibrancy.

"It is a really positive start but we will struggle without those tourist dollars coming into town," she said.

"We feel like we are still in limbo, although it is positive and will be good for mental health."

In the Camden Haven, the first steps toward freedom are being embraced.

Laurieton restaurant partner Shane Fisher said the Delizioso Restaurant has already begun receiving bookings from diners for the first day of trade on Saturday.

"We have been shut to the public for about four weeks now, but this announcement is massive for us and members of the public," Mr Fisher said.

"We are down more than half in terms of turnover despite doing takeaways. It has knocked us around and our staff lost hours.

"It's exciting and good to be back. We're taking bookings already and we're half full for the first day back within a couple of hours of the announcement.

Mr Fisher said the proposed idea of extra freedoms for vaccinated people was not of concern.

Retail store manager Rob Corry, from Camden Haven Auto Parts, said the announcement couldn't have come at a better time.

"It's good to get the business back on track again. We have been doing all our business over the phone at the moment," Mr Corry said.

"You can see that the everyone has been hurting around town because each business feeds off another. Being open is better for the whole economy of the town.

"I think we would be happy (as a retailer) to police a COVID passport type scenario, it's a bit of a pain but I think we will eventually need to do that to get businesses going again."

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said regional communities were doing an incredible job following health advice and getting vaccinated which made the easing of lockdown in some areas possible.

Mr Barilaro urged people to get vaccinated.

"My strong advice to everyone in regional NSW is to get vaccinated as soon as you can," he said.

"Our communities need to continue to get vaccinated so that when NSW reaches 70 and 80 per cent, restrictions can ease significantly."

The state government has announced its statewide reopening roadmap once the NSW's double dose vaccination rate hits 70 per cent.

The government intends to open up further freedoms when NSW hits the 80 per cent double dose threshold.

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