The ripple effects of coronavirus are being felt by a Launceston fabric supplier who imports the bulk of her stock from China.
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Flossy Fabrics owner Mel Hennessy said the closure of printing factories in China had left Australian suppliers with no clear indication of when their fabric orders would be delivered.
"At the end of the day this is fabric and yes, it's our livelihood and we've got other people downstream relying on that, but I don't think any of us would want people to put themselves at risk to supply us with fabric," she said.
"I know that our printers are very keen to get back to work."
A vaccine for the virus is estimated to be 18 months away and with the spread of it still yet to be brought under control, Ms Hennessy said uncertainty was affecting her sales.
"We're just waiting for the warehouses to actually start working again," she said.
"It does create a bit of nervousness around when the fabric will be fulfilled which is a bit of a hit to sales for sure."
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Despite the challenge, Ms Hennessy said her customers were understanding.
"People start to get anxious because their money is tied up waiting for something," she said.
"Our customers want their Easter prints but there's not much we can do and they appreciate that."
Flossy Fabrics will continue to stock fabric purchased from within Australia, but if the virus continues to spread Ms Hennessy fears it could have a devastating effect on more businesses.
"We don't know what the virus will do. Illness or an epidemic is not something you prepare for necessarily.
"We will continue stocking the fabric we purchase within Australia.
"Provided they return to work within the next three weeks or so, it's not going to be a disaster."
Ms Hennessy has started to consider what to do if the virus keeps spreading.
"I've started to attempt to source alternate suppliers but there's not a lot of them around," she said.
"China is the biggest market, India is next but they use very different technology there and I wouldn't have the opportunity to test the fabric."
The virus death toll stands at more than 1,100 and that's climbing.
More than 45,000 people have been infected around the world.
