A Launceston GP clinic is refusing to see any patients displaying cold symptoms during business hours, as concerns about the coronavirus pandemic grow.

Key points: The practice will implement a dedicated clinic for patients with symptoms such as a fever, cough or sore throat

The practice will implement a dedicated clinic for patients with symptoms such as a fever, cough or sore throat Patients will be asked to wear a mark and doctors will wear full protective clothing

Patients will be asked to wear a mark and doctors will wear full protective clothing The practice manager says the clinic is seeing increasing concern about coronavirus from patients

In an email to patients on Thursday, the Launceston Medical Centre said: "ANY patient who has cold symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat will not be seen between 7am — 6pm weekdays and before 1pm on weekends."

From Friday, the practice will implement a dedicated clinic for patients with symptoms such as a fever, cough or sore throat, to operate from 6pm to 9pm on weekdays and 1pm to 5pm on weekends.

Patients will be asked to wear a mask, and doctors will wear full protective clothing.

"To ensure minimal exposure to other patients, bookings are required," the email said.

"We apologise in advance for the inconvenience that this will cause.

"We hope that by adhering to the advice and guidelines of Public Health, we will be able to remain open and continue to provide quality healthcare services to all patients."

The clinic will no longer see patients with cold symptoms within regular hours. ( ABC News: April McLennan )

Practice manager Kat Martyn said the decision to separate patients with symptoms similar to those connected with coronavirus was about minimising the risk to staff and patients, particularly vulnerable sufferers of chronic disease.

"Really we're trying to protect the wider community and make sure that we're able to provide continuity of service by making sure our staff are well looked after as well," she said.

"We're following guidelines from the local Department of Health and also the World Health Organisation and really trying to be on the front foot when it comes to [coronavirus] and stopping community spread, which we're starting to see in other states.

"We're doing things by the book to ensure we're removing any unnecessary risk to patients."

Ms Martyn said the clinic was seeing increasing concern about the virus from patients, particularly those who had been travelling interstate.

"Those people are probably more aware of possibly being at risk, we also have a lot of patients who are really conscious of protecting their family, especially those with older family members," she said.

Chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' Tasmanian branch Dr Tim Jackson said the move was sensible.

"I think we're going to see different responses at different clinics of how to handle the coronavirus, and I think that makes a lot of sense," he said.

"What we want to do is keep people who might have coronavirus away from our aged people or people who are at increased risk of getting sick, by separating the opening times for the different streams of patients.

"Other surgeries may do it by just having a room that we use just for someone who may have coronavirus, and leaving all the others unexposed."

The Tasmanian Health Service has been contacted for comment.