Many Chinese restaurants in Auckland have taken a hit as fears around coronavirus keep customers away.

Some establishments have closed their doors to wait out the crisis, which has also resulted in the cancellation of the popular Auckland Lantern Festival due to a "groundswell of concern" from within the local Chinese community.

Hees Garden Seafood Restaurant in Mount Eden said it had made the decision to close for two weeks as a precaution, and was planning to reopen on February 24.

"We just wanted to reduce the risk," a manager who declined to be named told Stuff.

"Safety is more important than anything."

Grand Harbour in Auckland's Viaduct, which has been open for 20 years, said it had been noticeably quieter than this time last year, and its tourist market had collapsed.

"Around the Chinese New Year is the busiest two or three weeks of the year, but all the tourists have stopped coming," said co-owner Stephen Chan.

"It couldn't have come at a worse possible time."

KYLIE KLEIN NIXON/STUFF Some business owners have shut their doors, to avoid risk.

Since February 2, New Zealand has refused entry to any foreigners who travelled from or through mainland China.

Chan said at this time of year, tour groups from China would usually represent up to 25 per cent of the business.

"There's really not much we can do — we basically just have to wait it out," he said.

"Let's just hope they can resolve it as quickly as possible and let the tourists come back in."

Greenlane restaurant Enjoy Inn had also been affected by the travel restrictions, but said the fears of their regular customers were the main issue.

Vicky Ha Restaurant owners are reporting a downturn in business, due to fears about the coronavirus.

"Our regular customers haven't been coming lately because they are afraid of the tourists. But the thing is, we don't have any tourists this month, because they've all cancelled," said a manager, who only wanted their first name, Jasmine, used.

She said they would usually have around 15 tables in each day, but this had dropped to 10 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Her friends working in other Chinese restaurants were also experiencing a drop in business, and she had heard of another restaurant that had closed for a month.

Her message to customers was: "Don't be afraid, just come and enjoy some food."