Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced last Friday that the government was recommending the cancellation of all "non-essential" gatherings of more than 500 people, to come into effect from Monday.

That breathing space allowed Bathurst Regional Council to go ahead with the weekend's Bathurst Cycling Classic but has put a serious cloud over future events.

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The Sydney Royal Easter Shows has been abandoned for the year and the Royal Bathurst Show's executive committee will meet on Tuesday evening to discuss its options.

Bathurst Agricultural, Horticultural and Pastoral Association executive secretary Brett Kenworthy said postponing the event was unlikely.

That means either cancelling the show for 2020 or running a much smaller event that would be closed to the general public are the most viable options.

"We can look at running a show of livestock and other competitions that would align with our mission of promoting and developing agriculture, but that would be a closed event," Mr Kenworthy said.

"The details of the advice coming from the government will be crucial to that decision."

Mr Kenworthy said the AH&P had already made contact with major sponsor Reliance Bank and would be speaking with other major stakeholders ahead of Tuesday's meeting.

"Crucially it depends on what our insurer says whether we go ahead," he said.

"Our understanding at this stage is that as long as the government doesn't ban events going ahead we should be OK to go ahead in some form and put in extra control measures such as hand-washing stations and spreading events out across the showgrounds."

Mr Kenworthy conceded there would be a financial cost to calling off the show or running a smaller event.

"It's going to have an effect on the association's sustainability but our first role is to do the right thing from a health and safety point of view and a social point of view."

A final announcement on this year's show will be made on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, mayor Bobby Bourke said the NRL's decision to lock fans out of all matches from next weekend meant it was unlikely the round nine clash between the Penrith Panthers and Cronulla Sharks would be played in Bathurst, as planned.

He said no final decision had been made yet but he expected the game would instead be played at the Panthers' home ground in Penrith.

He remained hopeful that the Bathurst 1000 would still go ahead in October but said it was too early to make that call.

"Hopefully the situation will be better by then but, if not, the Bathurst 1000 will be in the same boat as every other event," he said.

"There can't be exceptions in a crisis like this.

"As for the NRL, I just can't see it coming to Bathurst this year."